Easter holiday plea to parents after spate of bin fires costing more than £3,000 across Tyne and Wear

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service has seen a spate of deliberate fires causing more than £3,000 damage - in just three months.

Since the beginning of the year there have been 132 incidents across the service area, with the majority linked to teenage anti-social behaviour.

As the school Easter Holidays get under way, firefighters are working closely with local authorities to put preventative measures in place

But now they have revealed that the recent fires could cost the taxpayer as much as £3,300 - with the average replacement bin costing £25.

Station Manager Ian Stewart, of TWFRS, covers the West Denton area of Newcastle, which alone has seen 50 deliberate secondary fires in the last month.

He said the service was working with police and councils across the brigade area to tackle the problem but appealed for parents to explain the financial impact and potential risks of arson offences: "We are experiencing issues with wheelie bin fires across the service area and we are working closely with police, the local authority and housing providers to address it,” he said.

“Many of these bin fires are linked to youth anti-social behaviour and we are concerned that some young people are putting themselves at risk.

“They may consider this to be harmless fun but it leaves the taxpayer out of pocket, residents with no bin and young people are putting themselves at risk.

“We are proactively looking to engage with young people and signpost them towards some of the great activities available in the community.

“But we need the support of parents as some young people may not understand the financial burden this creates for our region so we need your support to help educate them.

“We also need to know who those responsible are so we can help prevent them from injuring themselves and help divert them away from activity that could lead to them getting in trouble with the police.

“Residents are encouraged to take steps to secure their bins, perhaps by chaining them together. But please avoid chaining your bin to your home as this could put your home at risk if the bins are set alight.”

Sergeant Euan Faulke of Northumbria Police added: “We won’t tolerate antisocial behaviour as we know it can have a harmful impact on our communities.

“As a Force we will continue to support our partners in preventing and tackling these types of incidents through effective team work and information sharing.

“We would ask the public continues to support us by getting in touch whenever they see a crime being committed, or have information about any type of suspicious activity.”

Anyone who knows those responsible for deliberate fires in their areas can report it to the police through the Tell Us Something pages of the Northumbria force website.

You can also report information anonymously by calling FireStoppers on 0800 169 5558.