ABUSIVE arsonists have been slammed by a Ledbury firefighter, saying it takes crews away more serious calls.

Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service said there had been around 25 calls to these fires so far this year, which usually involved wood being set on fire in bins or shopping trolleys.

Ledbury fire station watch commander Rich Cooper said the while crews were at the scene, it prevented them from attending more serious calls, as well as causing an unnecessary disruption to the home and work life of on-call firefighters.

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He said those who start the fires were abusive to crews, something they should not put up with.

He said: “While we are attending this type of incident, we are being prevented from attending potentially more serious calls and they also provide an unnecessary disruption to the home and work life of our on-call firefighters.

“The individuals who started these fires were also abusive to our crew when they came to put the fire out and this is something they should not have to contend with."

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Anyone who sees people preparing to light a fire in a bin or a trolley were asked, in the first instance, to call West Mercia Police on 101.