Crimestoppers is today launching a campaign to appeal for help from the local communities in Wrexham to help eradicate the issue of arson.

The independent charity is working alongside North Wales Police and North Wales Fire and Rescue to try and reduce the number of incidents that have occurred in the area, in the hope of making local communities a safer place.

Wrexham has seen a series of arson attacks in recent years, with a number of cars, motorbikes, debris and foliage being set alight deliberately.

Last year alone, firefighters from Wrexham dealt with 55 arson attacks in one estate, while details released earlier this year during a council consultation on how to tackle Wrexham’s ‘arson problem’ stated: “Arson has been a recurring problem in Wrexham for a number of years. There is a significantly higher level of deliberate fires in the county compared to the rest of North Wales over the past five years.”

Now Crimestoppers is launching a campaign to raise awareness of the issue of arson in Wrexham, while also asking for people’s information on those who may be committing the crime. Leaflets are being distributed to homes in Wrexham, and a radio and social media campaign is taking place to encourage the public to report crime anonymously.

Each year over 1000 pieces of important information on crime in North Wales are given to Crimestoppers totally anonymously and the charity has seen a significant increase in information from the public over the last six months.

Stuart Millington, Senior Fire Safety Manager, said: “Deliberate fires place tremendous pressure on the fire and rescue service’s resources, with our crews being committed to bring them under control, which in turn delays firefighters from attending life threatening incidents. It could be you or a member of your family that requires our assistance and we may not be able to get to you as quickly or as easily as we would like because we have to deal with a deliberate fire in the area.”

Gary Murray, North Wales Regional Manager for Crimestoppers, said: “What disappoints me most is this senseless crime is pulling police away from more serious crimes and putting our fire service at needless risk.

“I’d ask local people to get in touch with Crimestoppers, completely anonymously, and give us the information that can bring those responsible for this crime to justice. With the public’s help we can make Wrexham a safer place to live and work, so please contact us on 0800 555 111 or via our website, Crimestoppers-uk.org.”