AN Oldham fire chief has issued a warning to young arsonists after crews have been forced to deal with number of grass fires.

Oldham Fire Station's Blue Watch Manager Ben McDermott said they've been out on several occasions over the last week to put out fires in the Fitton Hill/Alt estate area where children have been setting fire to grass and sticks.

He said crews were disappointed people had not learned lessons from the devastation caused by last summer's raging moor fires which burned for several weeks above Saddleworth and Stalybridge and were declared a major incident.

And following on from Sunday night's fire on moorland above Stalybridge, which is now the subject of a Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service investigation, he said it's unusual for these type of arson attacks to start so early in the year.

"At the moment the ground is quite wet so they're either not difficult to put out or they burn themselves out but this kind of behaviour is not acceptable.

"As the weather gets warmer these sort of fires can easily burn out of control and become more deep seated leading to what we saw on the moors last year.

"We hoped people would have been educated by that considering the cost and devastation caused but clearly not.

"It's no coincidence its happening in the school holidays.

"Our message is also to parents and the wider public. If you see this going on please report it to us. We're happy to speak to individuals caught in the act of doing this to explain to them why it isn't a good idea."

Watch Manager McDermott said they will be touring Oldham schools in the coming weeks to spread the Safe Summer campaign message.

You can report grass fire incidents or pass on information in confidence to Oldham Fire Station on 0161 609 8202.