FIREFIGHTERS and police have unveiled a graphic image of a burned teenager as part of a campaign to tackle the growing problem of arson in east Durham.

County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service and Durham Constabulary launched a campaign aimed at encouraging young people to stop and think about the life-changing damage that can be caused by starting fires.

Posters with the image will be displayed on bus stands in Horden, Shotton Colliery and Easington, as well as on the back of five fire appliances in Peterlee.

The fire service’s district manager for Easington, Chris Williams said: “Deliberate fires are an ongoing concern of the fire service.

“The crews from the Peterlee area dealt with 635 deliberate fires over the last year, 150 of which were car fires.

“The fires are time consuming and damaging to the local community, but can also have significant life-changing effects on people who start the fires. Playing with fire is no joke.”

He added: “We’ve deliberately launched the campaign to coincide with the lighter nights, the time of year when this type of behaviour tends to increase.”

Inspector Lee Blakelock, of Peterlee Police, said: “We have seen an increase in fires which have been deliberately set in the Peterlee area over the last few months and are very keen as we move into the summer period to stop this behaviour.

“We suspect the reason some of the fires are started is younger people trying to make themselves look good in front of their friends without thinking about the consequences of their actions.

“Our hope is the campaign will make them stop and think before they get involved in setting off a chain of events that could end in tragedy. “ Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101.