A fire that destroyed part of a children’s playpark in Seaham has been branded as “completely unacceptable” by emergency services following the incident.

The fire burned and destroyed swings at the children’s playpark in Dalton le Dale on April 2 before it was put out by County Durham and Darlington Fire & Rescue Service.

On the scene was an on-call crew from Seaham Fire Station who extinguished the fire but it was too late to save the swings which were damaged beyond repair.

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Lee Aspery, Community Safety & Arson Reduction Manager, has said those responsible have put themselves and the public “at risk”.

He said: “This behaviour is completely unacceptable, the person who did this put themselves at risk, the community at risk and also the emergency services who responded at risk, not to mention the damage caused to the swings that are now inaccessible for the rest of the community to use and enjoy.”

This latest incident comes as the service launch their Easter Arson campaign that sees fire crews engaging with school children, educating them about the dangers of fire and what they can do to stay safe.

Cllr John Shuttleworth, Durham County Council cabinet member for community safety and chair of the County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Authority, has urged the public to speak out about suspicious activity.

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He said: “Deliberate fires not only have a negative impact on the communities in which this criminal activity is carried out, but they can quickly become out of control and cause damage to buildings, the natural environment, and pose a serious risk to people’s lives.

“We are encouraging communities to report any suspicious activity to the police and relevant authorities.

“We are also asking parents to be aware of where their children are and what they are doing, as well as having conversations with them about the dangers of fires.”

Following this latest arson, Durham Constabulary are appealing for the general public to report anti-social behaviour by calling 101, or contact 08001695558 if they see anyone starting deliberate fires where they live.