ARSONISTS are being targeted all this week as part of a clampdown on deliberate fires.

Cleveland Fire Brigade said it is continuing to try to bring down arson rates, especially throughout national Arson Awareness Week this week.

Steve Johnson, Area Manager for Prevention at the brigade, said: “Arson is a crime.

"It causes untold damage within communities.

"It diverts resources away from where they are most needed. For the Brigade this could be in terms of being unable to attend more serious emergencies, where lives may be at risk, it could be your friends or family who need help.

"For our Local Authorities this means financial resources that are desperately needed to improve our local areas are being spent on repairing and replacing resources damaged by deliberate fires.”

Latest figures show they were just over 2,000 deliberate rubbish fires across the Cleveland Fire Brigade area in 2018 with nearly 250 wheelie bin fires.

Residents are reminded only to put bins out on the day of collection, bring them back in as soon as possible and keep them in a safe place to avoid them being a target for deliberate fires.

Firefighters have already been out about in Grangetown, the Whale Hill area of Eston and the streets around Wembley Way in Stockton, knocking on doors, giving out fire safety stickers to go on bins and where appropriate advising on wheelie bin locks.

This action is being extended to the Manor Ward area of Hartlepool during Arson Awareness Week where fire crews along with partner agencies, will be issuing similar advice, removing rubbish and identifying empty or derelict buildings.

Mr Johnson added: "We will not tolerate arson.

"We are calling on everyone across our communities to say ‘Enough is Enough’ and not to accept these incidents as the ‘norm’.

"We all need to work together to take a pride in our areas and respect one each other’s property.

The fire brigade has been working with the police to help deter, identify and prosecute arsonists and also spends time educating people about the impact arson has on communities.

One hotspot for firestarters in Teesside is the Eston Hills area, which has seen natural habitat as well as archaeological treasures on the ancient hill fort damager and destroyed.

The majority of fires in Cleveland - some years more than 80 per cent – are caused by arson.

"We investigate all incidents and anyone can report an incident anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”