Ellesmere Port residents urged to keep their bins secure following increase in wheelie bin fires

Residents and business owners in Ellesmere Port are being urged to keep their wheelie bins secure following a spate of deliberate fire across the town.

Over the past week firefighters have dealt with eight deliberate fires in Ellesmere Port – many of which have involved wheelie bins.

The increase is believed to be due to the time of year, with Halloween and Bonfire Night both fast approaching.

Firefighters are working closely with partners to tackle the issue and are also appealing for those responsible to consider the possible fatal consequences of starting fires deliberately.

They are also asking people living or working in Ellesmere Port to take measures to prevent their wheelie bins from becoming a target for arsonists, including:

• Store all wheelie bins away, especially at night, to avoid them becoming a target for arsonists
• Only place your wheelie bin outside on collection day and return it to a safe place in your property as soon as possible after collection
• Whenever possible wheelie bins should be stored securely behind locked gates
• Do not overfill your wheelie bins or leave loose rubbish around them

Ellesmere Port Fire Station Manager David Rutter said: “This is an extremely dangerous form of anti-social behaviour that could result in putting the lives of the community and properties at risk.

“While we are working closely with our partners to tackle this issue we also need the public’s help to stop wheelie bins being a target for arsonists. The public can do this by following our safety advice.

“This time of year is one of the busiest for us and dealing with nuisance deliberate acts like this prevents us from attending other incidents and keeping the rest of the community safe.”

Anyone with information about wheelie bins being set on fire should contact Cheshire Police on 101, give the details online at:

https://www.cheshire.police.uk/tua 

Or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

If you see a fire do not attempt to tackle it yourself, instead call 999 immediately.