£18m cost of arson in Rotherham

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service is launching a new drive to cut the number of deliberately started fires.

Nearly 7,000 small incidents, such as bin and grass fires, were deliberately started in the borough in the last five years, costing an estimated £18 million to deal with.

With the number of small deliberate fires traditionally spiking as days get warmer and nights get lighter, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue is working to raise awareness of the drain these fires can place on resources as well as the significant life risk they can pose.

Head of community safety Steve Makepeace, said: “Anti-social behaviour fires are a massive, costly problem for the whole of South Yorkshire. Small fires, such as grass and bin fires, are not harmless fun.

“They can quickly escalate, threatening life and property, as well as diverting firefighting resources from potentially more serious incidents.

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“Diversionary activities and one-to-one engagement with young people have a proven track record of reducing incidents, but we also hope residents will help us by following the advice and reducing the risk to them and their property.”

This year’s campaign will continue to engage with young people on a one-to-one level and through schools, while advising residents how to reduce their own arson risk.

The latest figures show:

• The fire service attended 6,781 deliberate secondary fires in Rotherham between 2006 and 2010.
• The fire service attended 1,720 deliberate secondary fires in Rotherham in 2006, but only 987 in 2010.

Of the 32,321 deliberate secondary fires the fire service attended in the whole of South Yorkshire between 2006 and 2010, 16,644 were rubbish or bin fires.

Secondary fires are defined as smaller fires, such as bin or grass fires, which do not threaten life or property.

If you know of people deliberately starting fires in your area, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Fire officers advise people to take simple steps to try and cut the number of small fires:

• Put your wheelie bin out early on the morning of collection, rather than the night before.
• Take your bin from the kerbside as soon as possible after collection.
• Don’t overfill your bin and make sure the bin will close.
•  Store rubbish away from buildings, but within the boundary of your property.

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