ARSONISTS who are blighting market towns with repeated fires are being targeted by the police in a bid to catch them before they cause a fatality.

County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service has put out 15 blazes in the Willington and Crook area in the last two weeks.

This includes six fires since Monday (September 1) with each blaze started in a field or hedge away from houses.

All of the blazes have been small and there has being no danger to life, however the fire service is keen to stop the arsonists before they start a larger fire.

Robin Turnbull, group manager for the fire service, said: “We need to stop this but the problem is that people tend to get excited by fire.

“Although these are just small fires we have had instances where people have graduated up to bigger blazes.

“Usually these types of fires are started by youths. We don’t really know who it is this time but as the fires are in the same area potentially it’s the same people doing this.

“We’re working with the neighbourhood police teams to try to catch the arsonists so that we can stop this behaviour.

“The police are to increase patrols in the areas where the fires are being started and the fire engines have CCTV cameras on them.

“This means that we can capture the faces of the youths who we see in the area of the fires while we fight the blazes. One of those youths could be the fire starter.”

The majority of the fires are located in wooded spots and, although unsure who is behind the arson attacks, the fire service thinks it is youths who meet in the area.

Mr Turnbull said: “Each time a crew has to attend one of these incidents it takes a fire engine away for a few hours.

“The fire is sometimes three fields away from the road and there is a problem accessing water.

“We would urge anyone who sees anybody acting suspiciously in this area to get in touch with the police.”

A fire service spokesman added: “Parents please ensure you know where your children are on a night as they are not only endangering themselves but also putting others at risk.”

Anyone with information on the arsonists can contact Crook police on 101.