Gwent Police and South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS) have called on the public to not put lives at risk by lighting fires outdoors.

The plea follows SWFRS attending 40 separate grassfires over the weekend, with many believed to have been started deliberately.

Fire crews attended several fires across Caerphilly County Borough last week: including in Castle Park and Lansbury Park in Caerphilly, and in Penallta.

SWFRS are currently working with the police and other partners to deliver Operation Dawns Glaw, a taskforce set up to reduce the number of deliberate fires.

A spokesman for SWFRS said: “Deliberate fires like this put our firefighters lives in danger, pose risk to the community and can cause significant damage to property and the environment.

“It is important for us to reinforce that, due to the coronavirus, our current situation is unprecedented.

“While we remain committed to delivering an effective and efficient emergency response across South Wales, we are very aware that many more families will be spending time at home, cooking, washing and using electrical items, which increases the risk of a potential fire.

“Diverting our resources to deal with deliberate fires will draw fundamental and valuable resources away from our communities, placing unnecessary risk on lives.”

Anybody with information on suspected deliberate fires can contact 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

[asp_product id=”984702″]