MORE than 350 vehicles were torched deliberately across Durham and Darlington in a year, fire service figures show.

Over the course of a decade, fire crews in the area were called out to thousands of deliberate vehicle fires, 351 of them last year.

Arsonists torching vehicles are putting lives at risk and taking up time and resources from services, according County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service and the Fire Brigades Union and the National Fire Chiefs Council.

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Since recording began in 1981, England’s fire and rescue services have attended more than a million deliberate vehicle fires, with nearly 8,500 incidents in 2020.

The chair of the NFCC described the thousands of "mindless incidents" as shocking and called on people to report vandals setting cars alight to the police.

County Durham and Darlington's fire service is one of just five to have seen a rise in this kind of arson, with incidents up from 274 in 2019.

There were 180 deliberate vehicle fires attended in 2015 and there has been a rise of 168 per cent since 2011 when 131 incidents were recorded.

Keith Wanley, the service's area manager for community risk management, says the rise is concerning.

He said: “This type of fire destroys people’s property, causes damage in the community and puts both firefighters and members of the public at risk of being hurt.

"The arson reduction team and operational crews work closely with our partner agencies including the police and local authorities to educate people about the dangers of all types of deliberate fires which can divert firefighters away from other incidents including rescues, where people’s lives are at risk."

Data released by the Home Office shows that vehicle fires accounted for around 13 per cent of all deliberate blazes attended by fire crews in the area last year, though figures could be higher as not all fires are reported.

NFCC chair Mark Hardingham said: “Deliberate fires - of any sort - put the public at risk and the reality is they divert crews away from other incidents, where life could be at risk.

"Car fires are usually classed as ‘secondary fires’ but these can soon escalate into more serious fires, requiring additional resources.

"The nature of car fires also put crews at risk as they can pose difficulties and become complex, dependent of the type of fuel while taking into account the increase of electric vehicles.

"The location can also have an impact as deliberate fires can often be in harder to reach, more remote locations."

A spokeswoman from the Fire Brigades Union said: “The fire service is a vital public service and, no matter what the incident or the cause, firefighters will always be there to respond.

"However, deliberately caused fires use up valuable time and resources of an already over-stretched and under-funded service."

Home Office Fire Minister Stephen Greenhalgh said the Government supported the fire sector, which is expected to receive £2.3 billion in 2021-22.

He said the funding would enable services to continue their important work, adding: "Deliberate fire setting is a terrible crime that puts our brave firefighters and the public in unnecessary danger."

Durham and Darlington's Mr Wanley is calling on the public to report fires.

He added: "I would like to urge members of the public to help us stop those who are responsible for deliberate fires and arson, which damages the community we live in, by reporting any information anonymously to FireStoppers on 0800 169 5558 or by visiting firestoppersreport.co.uk.”