FARMERS have spoken of their horror as the moor fire on Winter Hill came close to tearing through their land.

Horrocks Moor Farm, off Scout Road, was close to where the second blaze on the moors ignited on Friday before it merged with the first fire near the radio mast, causing emergency services to declare a major incident.

Sandra Westhead, aged 59, owns the farm with her partner Adrian Painter, also 59, and the couple live there with children Lydia, aged 21, and Thomas, aged 19.

The four were woken by firefighters early on Friday morning to the sight of the huge fire creeping across the fields towards their land.

Ms Westhead said: "It was creeping up from the quarry along the banking.

"It got right to the boundary. It is only the fact that we have mowed the grass on this side of the fence that has stopped it.

"Otherwise, it would have come right across our land. At the time when the banking was on fire, it was really scary and I thought it was going to come right over to us."

But the family's livestock was saved by the fact that the grass in their fields had been mowed, making it more difficult for the fire to spread.

The farm has 40 sheep, 10 goats, 150 hens, three donkeys, five horses and 50 breeding sows. The animals under threat have been moved.

Ms Westhead said: "You can clearly see where we mowed it. At the moment it looks like someone has got a big felt pen and drawn around the boundaries.

"The firemen were saying it was the best thing we could have done and they told us to carry on mowing around the boundary."

She joined the community in praising the incredible work of the firefighters.