A FIRE has destroyed £100,000 worth of piping which was to be used for the guided busway.

The fire started just off Squires Lane in Tyldesley at 7.10pm.

The fire, which is believed to have been started deliberately, caught on plastic piping that was to be used for the guided bus route.

Watch manager Ian Gardener, from Atherton fire station, said: "We managed to save quite a lot of the piping but we are being told that the fire has destroyed £80,000 to £100,000 worth of it.

"We were lucky with the wind because there was quite a lot of black smoke, but fortunately it was blown in to the open field space rather than over housing.

"We are presuming it is a deliberate attack and we have now handed it over to the police."

Many residents have taken to social media concerned about the effects the fire could have on the completion of the guided busway, which was due to be completed at the end of this year.

One Facebook user said: "This will put back completion even further."

Other users doubted the progression of the busway, with one stating: "It's taking that long to build and parts of the busway don't seem to be progressing any further than what they were months ago, so there's a lot of un supervised equipment.

"Why don't they bring it on site as and when they need it?"