HOUSEHOLDERS in Hartlepool are being urged not to light bonfires in their gardens.

Environmental health officers say such fires pose a threat to health and safety, while also causing a nuisance.

Adrian Hurst, Hartlepool Borough Council's principal environmental health officer, said: "Complaints about garden bonfires tend to increase at this time of year and we are issuing this advice in the hope that householders will think twice before burning their waste."