Firefighters' warning after park blaze increase

Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service said the fires "are putting the park, its visitors and fire crews at risk"

Firefighters in Nottinghamshire have issued a warning following a rise in "deliberate fires" in the Stapleford area.

Eight such fires have been recorded around Hickings Lane park in the last three months, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service said.

Extra CCTV and a police drone camera have been used in response to the increase.

Kevin Tedds, watch manager at Stapleford Fire Station, thanked the community for reporting incidents quickly, but warned about the knock-on effects responding to the fires can have.

"Getting called away for things like this is completely unnecessary," he said.

"If we'd have had the long, hot, dry summer which most of us wanted, these fires have got the opportunity to get out of control quite quickly."

In one incident a flammable liquid was poured into a tree stump, while another incident where wooden boarding was set on fire almost spread to a vehicle being used for nearby building work.

No injuries have been reported in any of the recent fires, but Mr Tedds said crews are warning people in the area of the risks of small fires developing in to major problems.

"We've got a real strong community around this area, and the park is quite important to lots of people," he said.

"If we see somebody lighting a fire, ultimately they will be arrested, and the police will deal with them.

"We're just asking the public to work with us, to keep alerting us when they see anything, to take their rubbish away from [the park], parents to talk to young people about the dangers of it, and to be reassured that we take it seriously."