FIREFIGHTERS faced access and water supply problems as they attempted to tackle a huge blaze involving a large quantity of tyres on farmland.

Hundreds of tyres went up in smoke on a field at the rear of Castle Hill Farm on Castle Hill Road, Bury, and the cause of the fierce blaze is being treated as deliberate.

Fire crews were called out at 8.30pm on Tuesday and spent four hours at the scene. A crew subsequently went back to the site at 7.30am the following morning to ensure the fire was fully extinguished.

During the initial firefighting operations, officers faced twin difficulties. Station officer John Lake of Bury fire station explained: "We did have a few problems. The lane down to the farm wasnt suitable for fire engines as it was narrow, soft and boggy.

"We had to request a smaller, four-wheel drive pumping appliance from Ramsbottom to allow us to get closer. At the same time, there was no water up there. We had to shuttle and relay water from lower down Castle Hill Road and back to the fire. All the tyres were destroyed."

During the firefighting operation, the farmer used a heavy excavator to try to separate the burning material and to remove the top layer to allow officers to get to the heart of the blaze. Two crews spent four hours at the scene.