Bonfire Night: Officer suffers serious burns to arm in Southwick rocket attack

The officer suffered serious burns in the attack which has also left him with hearing loss

A police officer and a teenager have been left badly burned in a "senseless" rocket attack while on Bonfire Night.

Northumbria Police said the officer was talking to two teenagers in Southwick, Sunderland, when a gang of male youths launched rockets at them.

The officer suffered serious burns to his arm and the boy was also injured.

Meanwhile, a Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) car was damaged after a brick was hurled at a crew in Trimdon Station, County Durham.

Firefighters have been called out to tackle more than 180 deliberate fires

The attack on the Northumbria Police officer happened at 22:25 GMT in Carlisle Terrace and was carried out by about 10 males.

The group launched several rockets, with one striking the 14-year-old and injuring his upper arm.

It then hit the officer and exploded, causing burns to his arm and torso. The boy also suffered hearing loss, police said.

During the attack the victims were forced to take cover behind a police vehicle which had its windows smashed.

As other police units arrived, the culprits fled the scene.

As the officer and a youth took cover behind this police car, it was also damaged

Ch Supt Neil Hutchison, from the force, said: "This is absolutely disgraceful behaviour and we will not tolerate it.

"Bonfire Night is not an excuse to carry out dangerous acts of violence. An extensive investigation is now under way to ensure those responsible face the consequences.

"This senseless attack has left one young person with a serious and potentially life-changing injury to his ear, while our officer has serious burns and also potential hearing damage."

Paramedic Jamie Walsh said the noise of the brick hitting the vehicle was "pretty terrifying"

Meanwhile, a brick was thrown at a GNAAS vehicle as it was leaving Trimdon Station after its crew had helped an assault victim.

Paramedic Jamie Walsh said: "The bang it made was pretty terrifying but thankfully we were all okay. Luckily it didn't hit the centre of the window where our doctor was sitting as it would have come through and could have caused catastrophic injuries.

"There was no major damage to the window or door of our vehicle so we were able to continue to respond to incidents throughout the night."

Firefighters also had fireworks and rocks thrown at them in "several violent incidents" while responding to bonfire callouts in the North East.

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service said it had received 170 calls about dangerous bonfires and had tackled 183 deliberate fires in the last few days, compared with 178 incidents in 2021.

The GNAAS vehicle was attacked after its crew had helped an assault victim