Arsonists blamed for grass fires in west Cumbria

Firefighters in Cumbria dealt with more than 30 deliberate grass and rubbish fires over the weekend.

Almost all the incidents were in the west of the county and followed more than 20 arsons the previous week.

The worst affected areas were Frizington, Workington, Cleator Moor, Seaton and Maryport.

Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service blamed the blazes, in part, on youngsters on holiday from schools and appealed to parents and carers to be more vigilant.

'Out of hand'

A spokesman said: "These fires are putting lives in danger and I would urge those responsible to think of the potentially fatal consequences of their reckless actions.

"Dealing with so many avoidable incidents really stretched our resources and meant that we were needlessly tied up rather than being available for more serious emergencies.

"Deliberate fires, particularly those involving grass and gorse, can spread rapidly and quickly get out of control endangering lives and property.

"Parents and carers need to remind their children of the dangers of playing with and creating fires.

"We can't allow this situation to get out of hand again like it did at the weekend.

"We're continuing to work with the police to identify and catch those involved."