THERE will be increased police patrols in Weymouth after a group of teenagers deliberately started a fire in a play park.

Police and firefighters were called to Wyke Gardens on Portland Road at around 6pm on Thursday, April 8, after a group of youths started a fire.

The group of teenagers had gone by the time police and firefighters had arrived and, although officers carried out a search of the area to try and find them, they were unable to.

The event has prompted the police to announce they will be increasing patrols in the area.

A spokesman for Dorset Police said: "We received a report at 5.51pm on April 8 relating to a group of teenagers starting a fire at a play park on Portland Road in Wyke Regis.

"Officers attended along with the fire service and discovered a small fire, which was extinguished by firefighters.

"The teenagers had left the scene prior to the emergency services arriving. A search of the area was carried out but they were not located."

A spokesman added: "This is unacceptable behaviour and the area will have increased patrols."

A spokesman for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "Weymouth crew extinguished a fire in the open that had been reported to the police. Firefighters extinguished the fire using buckets of water.

"The fire involved involving refuse and aerosol cans and is believed to have been started deliberately."

Councillor Lucy Hamilton, who represents the Wyke Regis ward, said: "I am very concerned to hear about the incident of anti-social behaviour and I extremely thankful that the emergency services were able to get to the scene so quickly and that nobody was injured.

"Myself and Councillor Kate Wheller, the other councillor representing Wyke Regis, have been in discussions with Dorset Council about youth provision in the area and we are looking to work with a youth outreach programme to reduce the amount of anti-social behaviour committed by young people in the area.

"I would like to emphasis that this bad behaviour is the actions of just a few and most of our young people do not commit these kinds of acts.

"We know that our young people and their families are living through a very difficult time at the moment and we all need to work together to help each other."