Bedfordshire firefighters attended almost 150 deliberate fires in first lockdown

Almost 150 fires were started deliberately in Bedfordshire during the first coronavirus lockdown, figures reveal.

The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) said it was "shocking" fire services across England had to respond to arson call-outs at a time when they were helping deliver food and medicine to the most vulnerable.

Home Office data shows Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service responded to 144 deliberate fires between April and June – an increase of 35 per cent on the 107 between January and March.

The figures include all fires thought or suspected to be intentional, including arson, and others such as bonfires and grass fires.

There were three non-fatal casualties from deliberate fires in Bedfordshire, two of which required hospital treatment.

NFCC chair Roy Wilsher said: “During these unprecedented times, the fire service is working incredibly hard to ensure the safety of communities across the entire UK, doing their upmost to protect the most vulnerable.

"However, it is shocking and unbelievable that we have seen a rise in deliberate fires, which results in additional pressure on already stretched resources.

"Attending a deliberate fire is time away from attending other life-threatening incidents and carrying out other vital work. Arson is a criminal act and fire services will work with the police in a bid to hold these people to account in a bid to see them successfully prosecuted."

There was an 11 per cent decrease in deliberate fires between April and June compared to the same period last year.

The majority of these during lockdown – both nationally and in Bedfordshire – were secondary fires, which are usually considered less serious.

With people spending more time at home, the NFCC is urging them to employ fire prevention methods to allow fire and rescue services to respond effectively to emergencies.

Mr Wilsher added: “Fire services have committed to providing support to other emergency services during this pandemic.

"Bringing down the number of preventable fires will mean they have more capacity to support the most vulnerable in their communities, while ensuring they maintain their emergency response.”

Fire crews in Bedfordshire also had to deal with 400 non-fire incidents between April and June.

Most commonly, the Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service had to assist other agencies on 102 occasions.