Police are urging parents to warn their children about the risk of fires after reports of youths committing arson in a North Yorkshire town.

The county’s police force said it was told by firefighters that a group of five teenagers ran away after a fire in Scarborough on Wednesday (April 27).

A police spokesperson said officers were called to help the firefighters in North Bay at about 7pm.

They said North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service were “initially involved with putting out one fire, when they were alerted to another, which had been set deliberately”.

“The suspects had been sighted nearby with members of the public showing the fire officers images of those involved.”

They added that later that evening police officers and firefighters were called to a bin fire near the skatepark at about 11.30pm.

The spokesperson issued this warning to parents: “If you have teenagers who may have come home smelling of smoke, please have a talk to them about the risks of fire, and the wasting the time of the fire officers, who may have had to be deployed elsewhere.

“These incidents in Scarborough are, thankfully, less common, however, actions have consequences and we will work to ensure that robust action is taken should this activity continue.”