THE number of fires started deliberately in Northumberland has risen by more than 20 per cent in the past year.
The county saw an increase of 21.5 per cent to 265 fires in the first quarter of 2019, compared to the same period in 2018.
Other fire and rescue services in the North-East had also been affected.
As a result, Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service has joined with services in County Durham and Tyne and Wear to launch the FireStoppers scheme which will allow residents to provide anonymous information relating to deliberate fires.
The service, managed by indepedent charity CrimeStoppers, will provide people who have information on these fires to report them via telephone or online, without having to provide their name or other contact details.
Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service's deputy chief fire officer, Mark McCarty, said: “The new FireStoppers programme gives people the power to speak up anonymously and help reduce the amount of deliberate fires within our area.
"Deliberate fires affect all our communities. This initiative will help reduce the impact and let us focus on our prevention and protection work.”
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