A CARPET and floor coverings business in Springhead almost went up in smoke at the weekend after fire was started in a commercial skip next to the building.

The blaze in the skip next to C & G Carpets in Jackson Street started at about 5.25am on Saturday morning (April 6).

Heat from the blaze melted the guttering and smokelogged the shop. Firefighters from Oldham used a total of three jets to deal with blaze. Crews also used a positive pressure ventilator to clear the smoke.

A fire brigade spokesman said: "The owners of the shop were lucky. The building could've been destroyed if we had not got to the fire in time."