Arson patrols over Bank Holiday weekend following rise in deliberate fires in Hartlepool

Cleveland Fire Brigade chiefs have said they will have officers visiting areas to help prevent deliberate fires over the bank holiday weekend, such as at Summerhill Country Park in Hartlepool.

It comes as members of Hartlepool Community Safety Team, including representatives from the fire brigade, Cleveland Police and Hartlepool Borough Council, have been patrolling the park in recent days due to reports of deliberate fires.

Cleveland Fire Brigade chiefs said community liaison officers will be ‘out and about’ across the weekend to engage with any groups and clampdown on incidents.

Local fire brigade chiefs last month called on residents to play their part to help tackle arson, after previously reporting they have continued to see an increasing amount of deliberate fires despite the Covid-19 outbreak.

Police have also called on visitors to areas such as Summerhill to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity.

A police spokesman said: “During the current warm weather any fires which are started may quickly get out of control and could not only cause considerable damage but also pose a risk to life for both the human visitors as well as the resident wildlife.”

It comes after last month there were reports of three deliberate fires at Summerhill Country Park in Hartlepool over one weekend.

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.

Council chiefs warned earlier this week they had seen increasing numbers of young people gathering together in some areas, with Summerhill Country Park highlighted as one which has seen anti-social behaviour.

Residents have been advised they can help prevent deliberate fires by eliminating fuel sources such as piles of rubbish, and for parents to know where their children are and what they are doing.

The calls are in line with Cleveland Fire Brigade’s recently launched 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.

Residents can report incidents of arson by contacting Cleveland Police on 101 or in an emergency contacting police or fire brigade on 999.

Alternatively they can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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