Firefighters believe a large forest fire near Egerton may have been caused by "neglectful and reckless actions".

Crews found a camping shelter, a campfire, and cans of beer at the origin of the blaze.

Shaun Walton, a group manager at Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, posted about the discovery on Twitter.

His post read: "Egerton wildfire most probably caused by neglectful and reckless actions by youths with campfire located at origin.

"Disappointing to find a camping shelter and other paraphernalia on scene as well."

Emergency services were called to Stone Bank, a large wooded area off Blackburn Road, earlier this afternoon.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue sent three fire engines and a wildfire unit to support Lancashire crews with the incident.

Around 45 firefighters and six fire engines were on scene tackling the blaze.

Teams urged people in the area to keep their doors and windows closed as the blaze had emitted a large plume of smoke.

Shortly after 3pm, Lancashire Fire and Rescue issued an update on the incident, saying that crews had managed to reduce the fire to a 100m area.

A "significant number" of trees were involved, which makes the fire more challenging and will see crews there for some time.

People have been asked to avoid the area, including the A666 between Egerton and Belmont.