YOUNGSTERS are responsible for more than a third of all arson attacks on cars and property, according to a report published yesterday.

The Government survey shows crimes like joyriding and insurance fraud are behind nearly half of all burned out vehicle fires.

The latest figures available show that, in 2000, there was a total of 7,146 malicious fires in the North-East.

Tyne and Wear was hit 3,326 times, with homes targeted 695 times and 112 businesses attacked.

County Durham suffered 1,306 arson attacks, with 154 on homes and 34 on business premises.

There were 2,045 attacks in Cleveland, with 462 on homes and 54 fires started in businesses.

North Yorkshire has one of the lowest counts in the country, with only 739 arson attacks. Out of these, 122 were on dwellings and 14 on businesses.

The figures come from The Burning Issue: Research and Strategies for Reducing Arson, published yesterday by the Arson Control Forum.

The report also urges the Government to set up a multi-agency task force to tackle the crime.

People in poor areas such as the North-East are 31 times more likely to suffer from arson and are 16 times more likely to die as a result of a fire.