IT may be a couple of weeks away yet but fire chiefs already have plans in place ahead of this year's bonfire night.

In preparation for November 5, firefighters have been warning about the dangers of the misuse of fireworks and urging residents to take care and go to organised displays.

Last year figures revealed crews had to deal with 11 'nuisance deliberate' fires in the town, 14 fewer than the previous year, but Warrington is still one of the busiest areas for firefighters in Cheshire

Paul Jackson, station manager for Warrington, said: "This is always a busy time of year and we spend a lot of time preparing for it in a number of ways, ranging from engagement and education to enforcement, working closely with the police, local authorities and youth projects.

“Firefighters have been into schools in the area to highlight the dangers of nuisance fires to young people, and working with our partners, a number of engagement activities have been organised in a bid to ensure children have plenty to keep them busy during the school holidays and leading up to bonfire night.”

As well as speaking to young people and parents in a bid to educate residents on the consequences of nuisance fires, preventative action is also being taken with the use of a waste recovery team to remove potentially nuisance or dangerous bonfires.

Paul added: “All the preventative measures we put in place are very much a partnership effort, and we are doing a variety of things to prevent the Warrington community being disrupted by fires that could cause serious damage and even injury.

“People might see starting a small bonfire or setting off fireworks as a bit of harmless fun, but fire is unpredictable and can easily get out of control and spread, so we would always urge people to go to organised displays and not make their own."

Over the bonfire period smaller fire engines, known as Targeted Response Vehicles (TRVs), will be monitoring high risk areas to enable a quick response to small nuisance bonfires and act as a deterrent.

Residents can report unlit bonfires to the council by calling 443322.