AFTER another busy weekend Suffolk firefighters issued a warning to residents to take extra care in the hot weather.

And they were especially concerned about a spate of apparent arson incidents in the Kesgrave area which kept firefighters on their toes.

They were called to two incidents late on Friday night in Dobbs Lane, Kesgrave and then again on Saturday afternoon where they found three small fires.

A spokesman for the fire service said they were all being treated as arson.

There were further heathland fires in the Lowestoft area – at the Denes in Corton Road and at Links Road Gunton.

And firefighters were also called to a garden fire which spread to a fence in Broadland Way, just off Foxhall Road on the edge of Ipswich.

Paul Collins, from Suffolk Fire Service, said people needed to be very careful in the dry spell – and fire-raisers were putting themselves as well as other people at risk.

He said: “We are doing all we can to prevent these kind of incidents but people do need to be careful.

“In the Kesgrave and Martlesham area we are aware there have been a number of grass fires and we think they have been caused by youngsters.

“Fire and police officers have been trying to make their presence felt and to get the message across about how dangerous this can be.

“If you start a fire in these conditions, the wind can easily whip it round and catch you – you put yourself and firefighters at risk.”

Many of the fires had started accidentally – and Mr Collins urged people to be very careful.

“In an ideal world we would say don’t have fires in your garden or barbecues in this weather. Certainly bonfires should not be lit in this weather – but people do enjoy barbecues but they have to be treated with great care.”

He urged anyone having a barbecue to ensure they had a bucket of water at hand in case a spark flew off.

“With a few simple precautions you can prevent these kind of dramas,” he said.