A PILE of rubbish including mattresses, doors and sofas was set on fire and spread to a home.

Arsonists set fire to the rubbish which had been piled up against the garage of a dormer cottage in Sunderland in the early hours of the morning.

Firefighters feared people were trapped inside the building, but it later emerged the property was empty.

Now residents are being warned to get their rubbish removed following the fire in Rosedale Street which broke out at about 3.40am on Friday, August 25.

Station manager Steve Graham said: “This is a prime example of what can happen if rubbish is just left in the open.

“It becomes a prime target for someone to set a fire, which could potentially have devastating consequences.

“We would urge people to contact their local council to get bulky items removed, or to take them to the local tip where they can be recycled or safely disposed of”.

He added: “On a similar theme, we have also been called out to deal with fires started in wheelie bins which in some cases have been put out for collection perhaps too early.

“It would help if people could put their bins out on the day of collection and not before, this will help reduce the easy opportunities for potential arsonists.”