FIRE crews from across Gwent were called out 10 times in a little over five hours to tackle deliberately started fires on Friday evening.

The first reported incident on October 21 took place at the Blackwood bus station, where aerosol cans were set alight with the Aberbargoed crew responding to tackle the fire at just before 6.15pm.

At just after 8.40pm, fireworks were lit and placed inside a car on Chaffinch Way in Duffryn, with crews using a hosereel and jet to put the flames out.

Malpas crews attended two fires in the space of three minutes. The first was a refuse bin deliberately set on fire in Welland Crescent in Bettws at just 8.55pm.

The second was another bin fire close to the dental surgery at the Bettws Shopping Centre at 9pm, and firefighters on both Bettws fires used hosereels to extinguish the blazes.

A South Wales Fire and Rescue spokeswoman said that crews reported seeing approximately 12 youths close to a deliberately started bin fire at the Marlborough Road playing fields in Cwmbran at just before 9.10pm.

Back to Bettws, another fire was put out by the Malpas crew after a bin was set alight near garages belonging to flats on Mersey Walk at just after 9.20pm.

Just before 9.55pm, an Aberbargoed crew put out a bin fire on Gelligaer Road in Cefn Hengoed, with a SWFRS spokeswoman reporting that a number of youths had been seen in a park close to the blaze.

At just after 10.45pm, a transit van was deliberately set on fire on Raglan Terrace in Beaufort, with a Brynmawr crew putting the flames out with hosereels.

Another bin fire was put out by the Aberbargoed crew on Clos Gwendraeth in Blackwood at 11pm, with a SWFRS spokeswoman reporting that a number of youths were seen in the vicinity.

A Cwmbran crew were called to a deliberately started bin fire on Beaumaris Drive in Cwmbran at just before 11.30pm.