Exclusion zone set after firefighters were attacked with petrol bombs

"The worst attack in my 26 years as a firefighter."

Those are the words of the chief fire officer Chris Lowther at the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service after crews in the West Denton area of Newcastle were targeted with petrol bombs, a glass bottle and a laser on Saturday.

The service was called to a report of a car fire at about 6.40pm on West Denton Way but instead were barricaded in to an estate and attacked.

CFO Chris Lowther has been speaking to Metro Radio about the incident:

An exclusion zone has also been issued in West Denton so crews won't attend secondary fires - such as rubbish fires - without a police escort.

The service will still attend fires where life or property is at risk as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, Northumbria Police have condemned the attacks on police and firefighters which left an officer injured and resulted in emergency service vehicles being damaged.

Officers have made it clear such behaviour is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated – and those responsible will be brought to justice.

The police immediately attended the scene and began making enquiries but soon the group of young people returned and began throwing said items at the officers and their vehicles, with two police cars damaged.

Police also became aware of people throwing items from the footbridge on West Denton Way.

As they approached and attempted to detain them, an officer was assaulted by a number of individuals, before the group fled the scene.

She received treatment for a head injury and is now recovering at home.

Three vehicles belonging to the public were also damaged, but no injuries were reported.

An investigation has been launched and one male, aged 16, was arrested in connection with the incident. He has since been released on bail.

Additional officers were deployed to the area and a dispersal notice was also put in place.

Chief Supt Helena Barron, Northumbria Police Area Commander for Newcastle and Gateshead, condemned the behaviour and asked the public for support in bringing those responsible to justice.

She said:

“This is absolutely abhorrent behaviour which will not be tolerated – acts of violence against emergency service workers are completely unacceptable and utterly senseless.

“We wish the officer who was injured a full and speedy recovery.

“We have launched an investigation and have been busy carrying out door-to-door and CCTV enquiries, as well as deploying extra officers in the area to carry out patrols.

“We recognise this is a small minority of individuals and welcome the overwhelming support we receive from our communities.

“We would ask that you continue to work with us, and we urge anyone who may have information about what happened to get in touch. Any detail, no matter how small, could really help.

“Anyone found to have been involved will be brought to justice.”

Officers are also asking members of the public who were in the area at the time or earlier in the day and saw groups of young people to come forward, as they may have information relevant to the enquiry.

Motorists are also asked to check their dash-cam footage, and home owners any CCTV or doorbell cameras, as this may be able to help identify those responsible.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Northumbria Police on 101, or using the Tell us Something page on the police website, quoting reference NP-20220114-0811.

Alternatively you can contact independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

"This will not be tolerated"

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Kim McGuinness said:

“It is sickening that anyone would think it’s OK to attack emergency service workers.

“They work hard doing their jobs to make our region safer – they’re there to help and look after our communities.

“They all need to be given the credit and respect they deserve, not subjected to abuse and serious harm.

“To have a very small minority of the communities you are dedicated to serving act like this is appalling and I know Northumbria Police will be doing everything they can to ensure those responsible for these vile actions are brought to justice. This will not be tolerated.”

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