SCHOOL caretakers across Stockton are the first in the Tees Valley to undergo training to help them prevent arson.

At Stockton Borough Council's education centre in Norton, a series of three-hour training sessions took caretakers through the do's and don'ts of arson prevention.

Part of Stockton's Community Safety Partnership, the sessions alerted caretakers to potential fire risks and provided appropriate advice.

Each caretaker received a training pack which can be used to support their work at school.

Cleveland Fire Brigade Station Officer, George Crooks, who led the training, said: "School fires have always been a major community problem and can often have devastating results.

"Feedback from caretakers from secondary schools who have already undergone the training has been very encouraging."