A WARNING has been issued after a spate of suspected arson attacks - one which caused damage to the railway line.

Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service were called to fires in Salterbeck and Northside on Tuesday evening, which the force believes were started by young people. Police confirmed they are investigating the incidents as arson.

A fire service spokesman said: “Deliberate fires put people at risk because they take firefighters away from genuine emergencies. One of the fires damaged the railway line quite significantly and put railway passengers potentially at risk. We would encourage parents to ensure they always know where their children are.”

The railway line was damaged during an incident at around 5.50pm in Salterbeck. It took around an hour for the two fire engines from Workington to extinguish the burning grass by the railway line. The 30 metre by 10 metre area was extinguished using beaters and water backpacks.

A Network Rail spokesperson said: “We responded to a lineside fire between Harrington and Workington at 6pm on Tuesday 16 July, which was caused by damage to a redundant telecoms cable. For safety reasons, trains travelled at slower speeds through the area until the fire was put out.”

Firefighters attended another arson attack on a 50 metre by 5 metre grassed area in Salterbeck at around 8.40pm the same evening, which took around an hour to extinguish.

And at around 7.15pm they were also called to deal with a large quantity of rubbish that was set alight in Northside.

Lillian Baldry, Workington Town councillor for Salterbeck, said: “I was shocked to hear about these fires. I’d encourage these young people to find out what’s going on in the local area and find something they’re interested in and get involved.”

Marjorie Rae, county councillor for the area, also said young people should get involved in groups such as scouts or take part in sporting activities.

She added: “I hope the parents of these young people are spoken to. It could have been a disaster, but children don’t think of that.”