HOAXERS have made more than 300 malicious calls to the fire brigade in Bolton this year.

In the latest incident, three fire engines, an ambulance and a police car rushed to Monks Lane in Breightmet, after a hoax caller said a baby was trapped in a house fire.

Fire chiefs have warned that the hoaxers face prosecution - and could be putting lives at risk in a real emergency.

A total of 310 false calls have been made to the fire brigade in Bolton this year. It is the second highest figure among the ten boroughs in the Greater Manchester area.

Only the city of Manchester had more hoax calls, with 649.

The latest Bolton call, about the baby trapped in a fire, was made from a phone box on the corner of Red Lane, Breightmet.

Bolton Central Fire Station sub-officer Ian Duckworth said: "Because of the serious nature of the report, a lot of resources were directed into that area and were not available if there was a real incident."

"We will prosecute people who make these calls. All calls are recorded and we can use voice analysis to identify the caller."

Hoax callers can face six months in imprisonment and/or a £5,000 fine. Those making the calls from mobile phones could have their mobiles blocked.

Ian Bailey, spokesman for Greater Manchester Fire, said: "This was a particularly alarming call.

"Had it been made from a mobile phone, we would have had the phone disconnected immediately.

"If a particular phone box is being used by malicious callers, then we call for it to be patrolled by police. We also run programmes aimed at educating children on the problem hoax calls cause.

"Six or seven years ago, the brigade as a whole had about 10,000 hoax calls a year.

"This has fallen to about 4,500, which is still to many and we will take action against those caught."

The total number of malicious calls in Bolton this year is still 58 fewer than last year - a reduction of nearly 20 per cent.