DETECTIVES are searching through CCTV footage in a bid to track down an arsonist who set fire to 11 rubbish bins in Bolton town centre.

Police are hoping they will catch on camera the firebug who caused hundreds of pounds worth of damage early yesterday.

Det Chief Insp Paul Buchanan, of Bolton Central CID, said: "The local authority has reported the fires to us and we are now investigating.

"It happened in the town centre so we are hoping we may be able to spot the person responsible."

The serial arsonist set fire to wheelie bins and expensive Victorian-style rubbish containers on Deansgate.

Bolton Council, which only recently installed the new Victorian design bins, estimates that it will cost up to £1,000 to replace them.

A council spokesman said: "We are annoyed because we have just completed improvements to the town centre.

"It will cost us a lot of money to replace these bins. The arsonist is having a laugh at everybody else's expense." The spokesman urged police to step up patrols in the town centre and said it would be asking businesses to secure their wheelie bins in the rear of their premises to stop them being targeted.

The lout first struck at midnight on Friday, setting fire to two wheelie bins and placing them against shops at the back of Newport Street.

Firefighters were then called out every 20 minutes to deal with individual blazes across the town centre, including locations in front of Marks and Spencer, McDonalds, and Mawdsley Street. Bins were also set alight late on Wednesday night in similar locations.

Firefighters, who believe the vandalism is the work of one person, said the arsonist is putting lives at risk.

Station Officer Dave Pimblett, of Bolton Central fire station, said: "Nuisance calls are a problem because there could be a house fire elsewhere when we are sending two engines to a bin fire in the town centre. Quite simply, people like this could cost lives."

The fire service reported no bin fires in the town centre today.