Merseyside Police sees surge in bonfire night incidents despite lockdown

Firefighters in Merseyside were called to a much higher number of deliberately set fires last night than they were 12 months ago.

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) have said that they dealt with 78 deliberately set fires last night compared with 38 in 2019, with Liverpool seeing the largest number.

Firefighters attended 55% more deliberately set fires across Merseyside on Bonfire Night, Thursday 5th November, than on the same date last year.

Liverpool saw the highest number of deliberately set fires, with fire crews attending 38 deliberate fires, up from 21 in 2019.

MFRS said that they had to report large groups of people breaking lockdown restrictions and that firefighters were subject to attacks across the region.

Station Manager Joe Cunliffe said: "We are disappointed by these figures after a long period of success in reducing these kinds of incidents.

"However, the vast majority of people across Merseyside enjoyed a safe Bonfire Night, in large part thanks to the work the Service and Partner organisations have done during this period.

He added: "Our Arson Team also spent the night in the community ensuring that members of the public were kept as safe as possible, however incredibly, some people have chosen to attack the very people who are trying to keep them safe.

"This disgraceful and sickening behaviour is totally unacceptable- firefighters and support staff are not targets. This is not a Merseyside phenomenon but has been experienced by Fire & Rescue Services across the country.