THOUSANDS of pounds of tools and computers were destroyed in a blaze which gutted two shops in Whitefield on Sunday night.

Firefighters were called to the back of a tool-hire shop in Charnley Street at 6.20pm to deal with a blaze involving two floors, which spread to the neighbouring Computer Shack outlet.

Investigation teams were today trying to establish the cause of the blaze which involved firefighters from across Greater Manchester, including Bolton.

At the height of the blaze, four hose reels and an aerial platform were used. No-one was hurt, but it is thought thousands of pounds of damage was caused to stock in both shops.

A spokesman for the fire service said: "When we got to the shop, the rear of the property was well alight.

Crews were still at the shops this morning.