VANDALS are risking lives by setting fire to wheelie bins.

In one night alone, 34 bins were set alight across Hemlington, Middlesbrough

Fearing that fires could spread to homes, hundreds of bins are to be chained to metal posts sunk into hundreds of gardens across the community in a pilot scheme.

The trial targeting 350 homes, is being carried out by Middlesbrough's largest social landlords, Erimus Housing.

Becky Barratt, arson reduction officer with Cleveland Fire Brigade, said: "We don't want them sitting next to doors and windows where there is a risk of fire spread and life threat if they are set on fire.

"We are saying they should be stored securely or chained to posts, so they cannot be moved."

Erimus Housing, Cleveland Fire Brigade and the Safer Middlesbrough Partnership each put £2,000 into the project.

In the six months up to April, there were 362 instances of antisocial behaviour - which included wheelie bin fires - with fire- fighters being pelted with stones when they turned out to a blaze.

A dispersal order is already in place on parts of the estate, empowering police to move youths found congregating, and speaking to them in front of their parents.

The locks for the wheelie bins have been supplied by Halfords, and if the project proves to be a success, Cleveland Fire Brigade hopes to intro- duce the programme across the town.

Susie Thompson, director of housing for Erimus, said: "Wheelie bin fires continue to plague our residents in Hemlington, as well as causing the fire brigade to be called out night after night.

"We hope this project will make a big impact and a positive change."

Erimus has also arranged for homes without wheelie bins to have one delivered, in an attempt to target the problem of rubbish being left on the street.

* In the past financial year, there were 162 arson attacks on Teesside, 49 of them caused by rubbish fires spreading to property. A total of 383 wheelie bins were set alight across the four Teesside districts over the same period.