FIREFIGHTERS are urging people not to fly tip after arsonists are suspected to have set a large pile of rubbish on fire.
Crews spent around 90 minutes battling the blaze which broke out on wasteland off Wharf Street Blackburn, at around 11pm yesterday.
Arsonists are believed to have ignited the pile of rubbish which included household and commercial waste.
Dumped items on the site which lies near to the Leeds Liverpool canal include tyres, sofas and planks of wood.
Ally O'Donnell, crew manager at Blackburn fire station, said: " The fire involved a large pile of rubbish on wasteland off Wharf Street, Blackburn.
"One fire engine from Blackburn attended and crews spent around 90 minutes there.
"The fire is being investigated and being treated as a suspected arson.
"There is a lot of fly-tipping on this wasteland and it looks like people have set fire to it and this isn't the first time it's happened."
Ms O'Donnell said the fly-tipping has been reported to Blackburn with Darwen Council and hopes something will be done about it.
She added: "I would urge people not to fly tip as it will only encourage people to set fire to it.
"This has been a problem for a while and the matter has been reported to the council who I hope will do something about it."
Anthony Harrington, a dog walker, who lives in Blackburn, described the mess as an eyesore.
He said: "I walk here regularly as there's a path that leads to the canal.
"It's a real mess and an eyesore.
"There are tyres, sofas and planks of wood to name a few things and it's just being dumped by fly-tippers.
"You also get youths congregating near the canal and drinking and smoking and it's encouraging anti-social behaviour.
"There is asbestos here and the rubbish is encouraging rats.
"Something needs to be done about including having the waste cleared and getting CCTV installed on the site," he added.
Cllr Jim Smith, the borough's environmental boss, said he wasn't aware of the issue but that it will be looked into.
He added: "If it's on council land we'll clean it but if it's private land, then we'll inform them that they've got to move it."
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