THE number of accidental deaths and injuries from fires on Teesside is steadily falling, according to a report.

Cleveland Fire Authority's Best Value Performance Plan for the coming year contains performance figures from April last year to February.

It shows that the number of deaths per thousand population fell to two over the period, compared with six in 1997/1998 and three the following year.

The number of injuries over three years also fell, from more than 100 to 60.

Assistant Divisional Officer Barry Waller attributed the reductions to several factors.

"It is a combination of operational improvements, better first aid and better fire awareness, which is the brigade's main target," he said. "Prevention is better than cure."

The figures follow similar success in cutting the number of hoax calls the brigade receives.

Under the Box Clever scheme, they fell by 700 over a 12-month period, up to October last year.

Particularly successful have been the monitoring of telephone boxes by security cameras and stopping outgoing calls from hoaxers' mobile phones.

Chief Fire Officer John Doyle said: "While we are pleased with the progress we have made, we have set ourselves some very ambitious targets for the future."