FIREFIGHTERS have issued a warning to arsonists and hoaxers after a small fire at a County Durham school.

Three fire engines were taken out of action for an hour at Deaf Hill Primary School, in Trimdon Station, where two youngsters had set fire to a soap dish in the boys' toilets, causing about £10 worth of damage.

But while school staff had put the fire out before their arrival, Station Officer Dave Turnbull, of County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue, said the cost of rebuilding the school would have been £4m.

He said the disruption to school life had also come at a bad time for pupils who are currently sitting tests.

"On this particular occasion, the damage was minimal, but it tied up fire crews for over an hour," he said.

"It must have caused a tremendous amount of stress, because the Sats are on."

Along with nuisance calls, which are on the increase, arsons such as the one at the school yesterday morning, detract from the brigade's ability to react immediately to real fires and emergencies.

Engines from Peterlee, Durham and Wheatley Hill were sent to the school following the 9.15am call, and were joined by police 30 minutes later when firefighters decided they were treating the fire as suspicious.

Figures for last year showed an increase of in excess of 1,200 more nuisance calls than in the previous year.

Station Officer Turnbull warned arsonists they faced sentences of up to life imprisonment for arson, while hoax callers could be fined up to £2,500, jailed for three months, or both.

Durham Constabulary said last night the matter was being dealt with internally by the school, with assistance from police.

Nobody from the school could be contacted last night.