FIREFIGHTERS from across Cumbria joined operations to tackle huge moorland fires in Lancashire and Yorkshire.

Five crews from Cumbria were sent over the border to assist Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service and South Yorkshire Firfe & Rescue Service over the weekend.

On-call crews from Sedburgh, Ambleside and Windermere were tasked with helping firefighters at a fire near Doncaster while the on-call and full-time Kendal firefighters, as well as Appleby, were sent to Darwen and Longridge in East Lancashire.

Bay Search and Rescue also assisted with their Hagglund vehicles.

Station manager Richard Gibson, who covers South Cumbria, said the two fires were a reminder of the need to take care on the moors, particularly after a prolonged period of dry, warm weather.

"When we heard we were being asked to go and assist Lancashire it takes you back to last year when we helped them with the huge fire at Winter Hill (near Bolton)," he said.

Hatfield Moor in Doncaster has been burning for more than two weeks with scores of firefighters battling the blaze.

The fire at Darwen Moor, which is thought to have affected 5km of moorland, is believed to have been started by a discarded barbecue.

Ten fire engines and specialist vehicles, including the high volume pump, were called out to the site in East Lancashire.

On Sunday morning a helicopter was sent to drop water onto the moors in a bid to stop the blaze from spreading while two Hagglund vehicles also attended.

Firefighters from Cumbria were tasked to the job to help with the efforts to bring the blaze under control.

Lancashire's chief fire officer Justin Johnston thanked the Cumbrian crews for helping out.

"A huge thank you to all for all your hard work," he said on Twitter.

Lancashire's assistant chief fire officer, Ben Norman spoke about the challenge facing his firefighters.

"We've had a huge number of specialist assets working closely with the landowners, but sadly that means that we are going to have in the region of 50-60 firefighters through this Covid emergency, focused on an incident that was wholly avoidable," he said.

"And that was somebody, by their own admission, they called the incident in and have since spoke to the police and given a full account of that fire, whilst not deliberate, was wholly avoidable, by virtue that you don't need to take a BBQ to enjoy the fabulous countryside that we've got."

A spokesperson for Lancashire Police confirmed officers had spoken to two men in their 20s about the Darwen fire.