MORE than 60 firefighters have spent the past 24 hours battling two huge blazes on moorland above Huddersfield.

About seven square miles of moors were ablaze alongside the A58 near Baitings Reservoir above Ripponden for much of yesterday.

And fire crews had to deal with a second fire which spread across part of the National Trust’s Marsden Moor estate at Scammonden.

Today fire crews were still damping down at the Ripponden blaze.

Roads including the A640 New Hey Road and the A58 Rochdale Road were closed to drivers.

Huddersfield traffic police said some drivers had caused problems by using the roads despite signs telling them not to.

It is not known what started the first fire, which began at about 6.30am yesterday, but the flames were fanned by strong winds.

Ten fire engines from West Yorkshire and three from Greater Manchester were there at the height of the blaze yesterday afternoon.

Keith Robinson, of West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said two fire officers were slightly injured tackling the flames.

He had to pull firefighters off the moor on four occasions as the wind changed direction and put them at risk. He warned members of the public to stay away.

Sgt Paul Denton, of Huddersfield traffic police, criticised motorists who ignored the road closures.

He said: “When people do that it hampers what the firefighters are trying to do because they are having to watch their backs.

“There was a lot of smoke, so people driving through would have been unable to see anyone who may have been in the road.”