Fire crews were called to an Isle of Man beauty spot on Bank Holiday Monday after a wheelie bin caught fire when a hot disposable barbecue was thrown inside.

Firefighters from the Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service attended the incident on Marine Drive, Port Soderick, where smoke was seen coming from a Beach Buddies bin.

Beach Buddies is an environmental charity that organises regular clean-ups and provides bins around the island’s coastline.

Members of the public had already begun tackling the fire before crews arrived, using water from a nearby stream to prevent it spreading.

Beach Buddies later confirmed that long-time charity supporter Robbie Breadner and David Cavendish discovered the blaze before raising the alarm and helped to bring the fire under control.

The pair carried bags of water from the nearby stream to douse the flames while waiting for firefighters.

Crews arrived shortly afterwards and fully dampened down the bin to ensure the fire was completely extinguished. The fire service confirmed the damage was minimal.

Beach Buddies founder Bill Dale said: ‘We were fortunate that this is one of our original steel bins - one of our newer plastic bins would have been really badly damaged, probably destroyed.

‘The weather is getting better, so if you're having a barbecue, please make sure you dispose of it properly afterwards.

‘I’d like to wish a massive thanks to Robbie Breadner and David Cavendish - they were both superstars!’

A spokesperson for the fire service said barbecues can remain dangerously hot long after use and should be left to cool fully before being moved or disposed of. They should never be placed in standard bins and should be kept away from dry grass, fences and buildings.