FIRE crews were called out to reports of burning cables in Farnworth early this morning.

Firefighters from Farnworth arrived at the scene just off Church Road close to the A666 at around 2AM.

The pile near the wooded area is believed to be the work of thieves, who steal cables from a range of places and take them to the secluded area.

According to Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) they then burn the plastic from them, to later sell on the copper wiring.

Crews were able to extinguish the small fire within 15 minutes and a spokesman said that the thieves were likely expecting to head back in the morning once it had cooled off.

Thieves can make thousands of pounds from such thefts, with significant weights attracting huge amounts of money.