Lit Firework Posted Into Gateshead House
Police in Gateshead are investigating after a lit firework was pushed through the letterbox of a house in Birtley. At 9:45pm on Tuesday, November 3, someone pushed a lit firework through the letterbox of a property in Ravensworth Road. The firework exploded in the hallway of the property and damaged the carpet and furniture inside the house. The fire was extinguished by the occupants before it could catch fire. Noone was injured in the incident. Enquiries are ongoing into the incident and officers are treating it as attempted arson. Anyone with any information as to who is responsible is asked to contact police. Gateshead Inspector Mick Robson said:
"This could easily have set fire to the property and we could have been dealing with something far far worse than just a damaged carpet and furniture. It could be the person, or people, responsible for doing this thought it was a prank or a game but let me send a clear message to those people - we do not see it that way at all. Their actions could have put lives at risk and we are treating the incident as an attempted arson and are doing all we can to find the offenders. When we do, you face being arrested and going to court for your actions. Imagine if the occupants had been asleep and the firework had set fire to the house. There could have been fatal consequences and we could now be investigating a murder. If anyone knows who is responsible I'd ask they contact us with any information on 101 ext 69191 quoting reference number 1192 03/11/15 and I'd also like to remind people about firework safety. Fireworks can cause serious damage and injury and should only be used appropriately."