A hoax caller who has plagued firefighters with a string of false alarms is being hunted by police.

The menace has phoned the brigade at least eight times in the last 15 months. On one occasion the hoaxer told them that Sharples High School was on fire.

Among the other buildings the hoaxer has called crews to are: Asda in Blackburn Road, Astley Bridge; the Last Drop Hotel in Bromley Cross; the Oaks Primary School on Sharples Hall Drive, Sharples.

You can listen to a couple of the calls HERE and HERE

Fire chiefs say that lives were put at risk because pumps which might have been needed at real emergencies were wasting time at non-existent blazes.

The calls have cost Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service at least £16,000.

Watch manager Ian Duckworth, of Bolton Central fire station, said: "Any one of these calls could have been the difference between life and death.

"While we were dealing with this false alarms, there could have been a family in serious need of our help somewhere else and this could have caused a fatal delay.

"It is very important that this man is caught."

Despite the suspicions of some of the operators, two or three engines were sent to each reported "fire".

All the calls were made from two telephone boxes, in Prince Street, off Higher Bridge Street, and outside the Three Pigeons pub on Blackburn Road, between 1am and 4.30am.

Mr Duckworth said: "We believe, that because of where he has made the calls from and because of the buildings he has said were on fire, that he comes from the Astley Bridge or Sharples areas.

"It's possible that he walks home from drinking in the town centre or works shifts and makes the calls as on his way home.

"His voice is fairly distinctive and I'm certain that if somebody knows him, they would recognise him immediately."

Firefighters in Bolton respond to about 300 hoax fire alerts a year at a cost of more than £500,000.

All 999 calls are traced and recorded and the fire service collaborates with mobile phone providers and can request that phones be disconnected.

Adult hoaxers are likely to face a fine or prison. They can be fined £80 on the spot or be sent to court, which could result in either a £5,000 fine or six months in prison.

You can listen to a couple of the calls HERE and HERE

How to help catch hoax callers

As part of The Bolton News' Shop A Hoaxer campaign to trap the town's worst hoax callers, you can listen to the calls and help to catch the nuisance caller.

Anybody who recognises the man's voice is asked to contact police on 0161 856 5761, Bolton Central fire station on 01204 902103 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.