A woman's bin was set alight with fireworks as she slept last night.

The wheelie bin was filled with fireworks and set ablaze at around 11pm.

According to fire crews, the elderly woman who lives in the house was unaware of the burning flames and was asleep upstairs in bed when the fire began to spread around her front garden.

A neighbour called the fire service and firefighters rushed to Ashley Avenue in Breightmet, where the fire had caught on to nearby garden furniture and was in danger of spreading to her living room.

The firefighters arrived just in time to prevent it going further, with Bolton North watch manager Danny Vickers saying: "The fire damaged the wheelie bin itself and damaged the front of the living room window. Luckily we got there in time and managed to stop it from spreading."

Police from Bolton North said: "Someone had placed fireworks in an empty wheelie bin and set it alight, causing the bin to set on fire and it to spread to nearby garden furniture. Due to the heat, the ground floor window of the house cracked."

"Thankfully, a neighbour rang the fire service who put the fire out, before it was able to spread to the house. The occupant of the house was asleep in bed, unaware of the fire in front of her house."

The person who caused the fire is unknown as of yet and police are asking for help to track down them down.

Anyone with information in relation to this incident should contact the Bolton North Neighbourhood Team on 0161 856 5761.