Warning issued following deliberate fires in Ellesmere Port

Cheshire Police and Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service Fire are issuing a warning in relation to the starting of fires following several incidents in Ellesmere Port.

Over the past few weeks, officers in Ellesmere Port have been made aware of several reports of fires deliberately being started in areas across the town.

The reports officers received mentioned that young people had been observed starting the fires and then fleeing the scene either on foot or on bikes.

Officers have been working alongside colleagues from Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service in response to this recent spate of incidents and a number of enquiries are already underway to identify those responsible.

Chief Inspector Dan Reynolds said:

“Only recently in Cheshire, we have seen the devastating impact that fires have had on our residents, communities and green spaces; this activity is an extremely dangerous form of anti-social behaviour that we will not tolerate.

“As well as endangering the lives of their neighbours, those involved are putting their own lives at risk by starting the fires and impacting the resources of both police and fire teams who could be responding to actual emergencies but are instead attending avoidable incidents.

“If you are a parent we would ask you to talk with your children and highlight this risk to them as these fires appear to be started deliberately with disregard to the danger.

“We would much rather work with our young people to make our town safer for everybody that lives, works and visits here. We have previously run sessions alongside our colleagues from Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service regarding the dangers of starting fires - we would much rather take action through education than through prosecution.

“That being said, we have launched enquiries into identifying those responsible for these incidents and we will not hesitate in seeking charges for these offences should this behaviour continue. Arson is a serious crime that can result in a criminal record and even prison time.

"If you have information regarding these offences, please pass it your local officer or via Crimestoppers. We are all united in our approach to keeping the communities of Ellesmere Port and Neston safe.”

Ellesmere Port Station Manager Andrew Gray added:

“Deliberately setting fires is both dangerous and irresponsible. Although these incidents may seem minor, fires can spread quickly in dry conditions, putting people, property, wildlife and open spaces at risk.

“Every time our firefighters attend a deliberately started fire, it ties up valuable emergency resources that could be needed elsewhere for house fires, road traffic collisions or other emergencies where lives may be at risk.

“These fires don't just create unnecessary demand on the emergency services; they also leave lasting damage to local green spaces that should be there for everyone to enjoy.

“We would ask people to think about the consequences of their actions and help us protect our communities by reporting any suspicious behaviour or fire setting activity.”

Anyone with information regarding fires or anti-social behaviour in their area should contact Cheshire Police on 101, give the details online, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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