A MOTORBIKE burst into flames as its new owner was riding it home.

Firefighters were called to the blaze in Thicketford Road, Tonge Moor, this lunchtime and reported that the bike's owner had just purchased it.

A crew from Bolton North fire station spent around 15 minutes extinguishing the fire and clearing debris from the road.

Video by Elise Kay

The motorbike, the make of which is unknown, was described as 'a write-off'.

Crew manager Mark McCourt said: "There was one man riding the bike and he was with a friend.

"He had just bought the bike and was taking it back home. Unfortunately, now it is a write-off.

"It was unusual for us to get a call about a motorbike fire at that time of day. Usually when we here about this kind of thing, it is a bike that has been abandoned or stolen — not one that has just been bought."