High cost of wheelie bin fires

People are advised not to put bins out until specified times

Firefighters say it costs more than £1,000 a time to tackle arson attacks on wheelie bins.

It comes after a series of incidents across the region where bins have been set alight.

Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service says it puts the cost of dealing with each bin fire at £1,100.

That includes the cost of mobilising the crews, replacing equipment, diesel and the cost of the bins.

Dave Turnbull, from Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service, said: "In financial terms it is a drain on our resources both from the fire service's perspective and from the council tax payers'.

"But the real term, the humanitarian term, is nobody wants to lose a person in a fire with the fire crews dealing with wheelie bins elsewhere."

Spread quickly

Mr Turnbull said that since 1 April there had been 1,700 nuisance fires involving rubbish across their patch.

He said there were a number of ways the brigade was working to tackle the problem.

They advise people not to put their bins out until the specified times so they do not become targets.

He also said they have a rolling programme involving young people starting to show signs of anti-social behaviour.

They show the dangers of wheelie bin fires and how quickly they can spread as well as warning the offence can be dealt with by a custodial sentence.