FIRE chiefs in Nelson have warned pranksters who waste time with malicious calls that they will be caught and punished.

Sub-officer Mark Woodward said the irresponsible actions of these people could lead to them being taken away from a genuine incident which cost lives.

He said: "We can take action against these people and there is a hefty fine or prison sentence awaiting them. It was ridiculous last night.

"We can't be in two places at once so these people who are making these calls on their mobiles are putting the public at risk. Three fire engines could have been sent in the wrong direction and been delayed from getting to a life-threatening situation."

The warning came after firefighters in Pendle were called out to three malicious calls in Brierfield in less than two hours.

Mr Woodward said: "We had one at 5.32pm in Bury Street which was made from a mobile and then two more at 6.46pm in Halifax Road and 7.17pm in Albert Street both made from the same mobile.

"The operator of fire control at Fulwood get the numbers instantly. Hoax calls can now be traced and it is a criminal offence and could cost lives. They tied up three machines on each call because we had them reported as house fires.

"We have got the police involved now and we can take action against them. We can also now block these phones through the operator."