Fire Crime Team work tirelessly to drive down the number of arson related anti-social behaviour incidents.

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service is aware of a series of suspected deliberate bin fires within the Abergavenny area over recent weeks, two of which took place at Abergavenny Fire and Rescue Station.

The Service’s Fire Crime Team are working tirelessly with our partners to drive down the number of arson related anti-social behaviour within our communities.

Deliberate fires are extremely dangerous and can spread extremely quickly putting lives in danger.  The fires can also give off thick swathes of smoke which can increase the risk to the elderly and vulnerable people with medical conditions. Healthcare professionals have highlighted the dangers of smoke caused by grass fires to COVID-19 sufferers who may be living nearby.

Not only are deliberate fires dangerous, setting these fires near emergency service premises like Fire Stations could cause damage to critical facilities.

Head of Fire Crime Paul Mason said: ‘One or two bags of rubbish or a piece of furniture dumped can attract more – there is a cost to us all, a drain on emergency services resources, environmental damage, loss of wildlife and risk to property and life especially during this time of national crisis. If you choose to dump rubbish you could be fuelling the fire and choosing to contribute to a tragedy. Please take responsibility and ensure your waste is disposed of correctly. Please don’t fuel the fire.”

We would urge anyone who has information on suspected deliberate fires, or who sees anything suspicious to contact Gwent Police on 101 quoting reference 2100013253  or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

If you see a fire, or anyone starting a fire, please call 999 immediately.