Bolton fire crews had to put out a ‘malicious’ fire started in on a bin close to a block of flats.

Crews were called out to Merehall Drive at 8.30pm this evening after a resident alerted them to the blaze.

The fire was started by rubbish in a bin being set alight in a bin compound next to a block of flats.

It took crews 20 minutes to put out the fire which they described as a ‘malicious arson’.