Residents 'threatened by teens' over park fires

People living near a park have been threatened with having their homes set on fire, after challenging young people deliberately starting fires, according to a councillor.

Teenagers were seen in The Holt, Lillington, near Leamington Spa, setting fire to aerosol cans placed inside cardboard boxes, in undergrowth around trees in the park, Liberal Democrat councillor Alan Boad claimed.

"Residents walking across the park have challenged them and been told 'we could set fire to your house' which isn't good," he added.

Police officers and firefighters were called several times last week to the area, a spokesperson for Warwickshire Police said, after reports of deliberate fires being set.

Boad said it was not fair on local people and there was also the potential of those setting the fires injuring themselves, with shrapnel from exploding aerosol cans.

"There's a video on YouTube about it and there are enormous flames and you only need that to land on the dry undergrowth and the whole lot will go up," he said.

In July, a teenager was burned after an aerosol can exploded when it was thrown into a fire in Atherstone which police said had been deliberately started.

The reports of fires in Lillington were mainly in the wooded area bordering homes on Kinross Road, a spokesperson for the force added.

Some of those involved have been identified and would "be dealt with appropriately", they added.

Boad said he had had contact with those who were threatened and had organised for Warwick District Council's community wardens and police officers to tour the area, to see what could be done to prevent more fires.

"I've spoken to the chief executive of the district council and they're now looking seriously at what they can do," he said.

"They've come in with the idea of crown lifting the trees (removing the lower branches), so you give a clear view under the trees, so you can through and see if kids are hanging about and what they're doing.

"But it's not a long-term solution."

Boad said his own idea would be to plant more bushes with thorns, so it was harder to get through to the wooded areas.

The council was also putting up warning signs, asking people not to start fires or light barbecues in parks and other public spaces, Ian Davison, the leader of Warwick District Council said.

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