FIRE crews in Whitehaven were called out on Thursday night to an incident in Cleator Moor after an attempted fire in an abandoned building.

At 8:20pm on June 11 Whitehaven Fire Service were called out to the derelict Derby Arms Pub, on Ennerdale Road where it was believed that youth’s had tried to set some rubbish inside the building on fire.

Fire crews in the area have seen sharp rises of rubbish being dumped in abandoned buildings over the lockdown.

This combined with a growing number of fire related anti-social behaviour has caused a number of these incidents within the area.

Firefighter’s quickly dealt with the incident,ensuring it did not escalate.

Luckily, there was no casualties as a result of the attempt on Thursday evening.

Rachel Cockelty, a firefighter at the scene said: “We want to advise the public to stop dumping rubbish in these derelict building’s as it causes a big risk.”

“Were getting quite a lot of derelict buildings like this around Whitehaven, that are getting full of rubbish then people trying to set it on fire and also with lockdown, we’ve found that more people are just dumping thing’s.”

A spokesman for Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service warned people of the severity of causing fire’s deliberately.

He said “Deliberate fires account for up to a third of all fires attended by fire and rescue services nationally and can have devastating effects in terms of cost and consequences.

“Arson is a significant drain on Fire & Rescue resources and can put lives in danger, destroy buildings and be devastating for communities and families. Arson must be reported – it destroys lives and costs a lot of time, money and effort. If you see anyone setting a fire deliberately, don’t accept it, report it!

“If you see fire-setting or suspicious activity, you should report it to the Police.”