WIRRAL householders are being warned of the dangers of storing piles of rubbish near their homes following two fires.

Firefighters extinguished a blaze in rubbish left in the garden of a house in Borough Road, Seacombe last Wednesday night.

In the early hours of the following morning, they tackled a fire in the back yard of an address in Kingsdale Avenue, Birkenhead.

Its heat caused a nearby window on a house to crack as well as damage to three other windows, including one on a firs- floor of a house, and a door frame.

Both are believed to have been started deliberately.

Watch manager Ian Mullen, from Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service, said: “These fires are a clear example of the dangers deliberate fires can pose to properties.

“Although no-one was injured in this case, the outcome could have been very serious.

“We urge people to keep the amount of combustibles in their yards and back gardens to a minimum and to have working smoke alarms on each level of their home to give early warning if a fire were to start.

“We investigate all fires we are called to and we pass information on to the police.”

Appliances from Birkenhead and Bromborough community fire station responded to the call-out.