Firefighters came under attack from youths who pelted crews with stones after they were called to a blaze in Rumworth Park, near Willows Lane.

Crews were attacked by a gang of youths on Tuesday evening when they went to put out the latest in a series of deliberately started rubbish fires in the park.

Stones and other objects were thrown, one hitting the helmet of one of the firefighters.

Station manager at Bolton Central Fire Station, Andy Hardman said: “We have had a few incidents of fires in the park. It is a perennial problem for us coming up to bonfire night.

“The crews were coming away from the incident. No one was injured. It was a gang of youths.”

He urged residents to bring in their wheelie bins and not to leave rubbish lying around, which is often taken and set fire to, and to ensure that parents know where their children are.

Mr Hardman said: “CCTV footage of the incident is being viewed.”

Area manager Paul Etches, Greater Manchester Fire Rescue Service’s head of prevention, said: “I am really saddened to hear of yet another attack on our firefighters who are trying to help the people of Greater Manchester.

“The latest attack resulted in one of our staff members being hit with a stone. Luckily the stone hit the firefighter’s helmet and they weren’t injured and were able to remain in work but this could have been much worse.

“We’re now approaching the Halloween and bonfire period which is extremely busy and incidents like this put lives at risk and cause distress to our staff who are just doing their jobs.”

He added: “I would urge everyone to think about the impact these incidents have on their communities and please ensure they know where their children are as the evenings get darker.”

There have been reports of 62 incidents of hostilities against firefighters between April 1, 2016 and March 31, 2017 in Greater Manchester.

In April crews were pelted with bricks and fireworks as they tackled a blaze in Harwood when around 30 yobs had congregated in a wooded area off Ashdene Crescent.