Crews from three fire stations were called to a fire in a derelict building in Carlisle this weekend.

Carlisle east and west fire stations along with Longtown fire station dispatched crews to the site of a fire in Willowholme on Saturday, just after 5.30pm.

Once they arrived, a spokesman for Carlisle east station said: "Crews found a fire in a derelict building made up of wooden pallets and needed an extended hose reel and breathing apparatus to extinguish the flames."

The spokesman went on to issue a strong warning that entering derelict buildings is dangerous, for anyone who enters them and for anyone who is called to mount a rescue or carry out repair work.

"Derelict buildings are usually fenced off and have warning signs around them for safety reasons as there may be dangerous places on site," the spokesman said.

"When people ignore the warnings they not only jeopardise their own safety but also the safety of those who respond to the site to repair the damage as they are subjected to the same hazards that the warning signs display.

"While this incident was resolved without injury we received the call believing there were persons involved.

"It is dangerous to ignore warnings and enter derelict structures as much as it is dangerous to play with fire.

"We remind everyone to keep out of such places, heed the warnings and not risk everybody’s safety by ignoring the signs."