Fire chiefs' plea after deliberate fires in Hartlepool during lockdown

Despite the current government guidance on staying at home to help alleviate the coronavirus pandemic, Cleveland Fire Brigade is still attending an increasing number of deliberate fires.

This includes three deliberate fires at Summerhill Country Park in Hartlepool on Saturday and Sunday.

The fires damaged areas of natural habitat and some fencing on the site, and prompted concerns over the presence of young people from the Hartlepool Community Safety Team.

Ahead of the Easter weekend, Cleveland Fire Brigade chiefs stressed they have a zero-tolerance policy towards arson and called on everyone to do their bit to tackle the issue.

Steve Johnson, area manager prevention, said: “It is frustrating that at a time when we all need to be coming together to support one another we still have people committing crimes and ruining our local communities.

“We need the public’s support, now more than ever.

“Our resources need to be available to respond to incidents and support with humanitarian aid for vulnerable people in our communities.

“Arson is everyone’s problem, we need to tackle it together.

“We have a zero-tolerance on arsonists and will work with the police to investigate and bring prosecutions where necessary.”

Fire brigade bosses say everyone can help in several ways, including staying at home as per government guidance.

They also advise people to eliminate fuel sources such as piles of rubbish, and called for parents to know where their children are and what they are doing.

Anyone can report incidents anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

It follows the launch of Cleveland Fire Brigade’s campaign looking to tackle arson in the area.

It came as in Cleveland 85% of fire brigade calls are for deliberate fires and brigade bosses estimated arson cost the area £17.9million in 2018/19.

The economic cost to Hartlepool was £2.9million during this period.

The rate of deliberate fires per 10,000 of the population in Cleveland is 65 incidents, more than four times the national average of 15.

The most prevalent fires in relation to arson in Cleveland include refuse, grassland and vehicle fires.

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