TWO deliberate fires in Harle Syke within 40 minutes of each other last night could be linked.

Firefighters were first called to the metal youth shelter on a playground off Queen Street at 7.50pm when a wheelie bin had been pushed up to the shelter and deliberately set on fire causing smoke damage to the shelter and destroying the bin.

Then at 8.30pm Leading Firefighter Keith Dixon said they were called to a commercial garage near the bus turning circle on Burnley Road.

The timber garage was used to store reclaimed builder's material and half of it was destroyed in the blaze.

Mr Dixon said: "It is unusual to get fires in the Harle Syke area and so we are considering these two incidents could be linked.

"There were youths in the area of the first fire but no-one was about when we were called out to the garage."

Police are investigating both incidents.