A TAXI caught fire before rolling down a road.

The fire service was called to Gisburn Avenue, in the Johnson Fold Estate, at around 1.20am today to reports of a taxi on fire.

The driver was dropping off a passenger who noticed that smoke was coming from the engine.

While driving to the scene, the fire crew from Bolton North fire station got a call saying that the car had rolled down the road and a fence in Sabden Road had caught fire.

The fire is believed to have started accidentally in the engine compartment but due to the extent of the damage a cause could not be established.

Firefighters extinguished the fire and were on the scene for around 30 minutes.