Fire service warning after spate of garden blazes

West Sussex residents should be careful to avoid garden fires over the bank holiday after a string of blazes in recent weeks, the fire and rescue service said.

A spokesperson for West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said crews were called to six garden fires across the county in the past two weeks.

The warning comes with more people spending time in their gardens during the bank holiday weekend, according to Crawley fire station manager James McGrath.

He said: "We would strongly discourage people from having garden bonfires, particularly in built-up residential areas, as they can spread quickly, affect neighbouring properties and cause significant nuisance and distress to nearby residents."

He added: "Smoking materials should always be fully extinguished and disposed of safely.

"Residents with balconies should take extra care to ensure cigarettes are properly put out and never discarded from height, as they can easily cause fires in neighbouring balconies, gardens or external areas below."

A fire service spokesperson said fires in Broadbridge Heath, Crawley, North Bersted, Southwater and Gossops Green in the past two weeks had seen a total of 23 fire engines called out to the six incidents.

McGrath also raised concerns about large lithium-ion batteries, such as those used in garden tools and electric bikes, which can pose a potential fire risk.

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