Firefighters were called-out to extinguish fly-tipped rubbish that had been set alight yesterday morning.

A crew from Longtown Fire Station were called-out in the early hours of yesterday morning as dumped rubbish had been set alight on the Brisco Hill to Hopesike section of road. Longtown Fire Station said: “Not only is it criminal to dump rubbish but reckless to create a fire hazard of this nature.

A spokesperson for the Fire and Rescue Service said: "These fires are putting lives in danger and we’d urge anybody considering starting a blaze of this nature to think of the potentially fatal consequences of their reckless actions. Deliberate fires, particularly those involving piles of rubbish near buildings, can spread rapidly and quickly get out of control endangering lives and property. Dealing with these avoidable incidents mean that we are needlessly tied up rather than being available for more serious emergencies."

The crew were also called out to a building fire later that morning alongside the Gretna appliance. A tumble dryer in an outbuilding at the Gretna household caused the fire which was extinguished with two breathing apparatus and a hose reel jet.