FIRES were deliberately started in the Pillgwenlly area of Newport in the early hours of Tuesday.

Three bins were set alight on Commercial Road and King Street, just before 2am.

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service’s fire crime unit said the fires were started in a chain: of events, an initial assessment of the incidents is that each of the subsequent fires in the chain of events were started athe second after the firstprevious one had been attended to and had been put out by firefighters from Maindee Fire Station and the third after the second was extinguished.

An investigation has been launched by the Fire Crime Unit and officers from Gwent Police to identify the arsonist and the reasons behind it.

The Fire Crime Unit warned that with the behaviour of deliberately started fires being unpredictable, they could have resulted in damage to premises or people injured.

Reader footage of the bin fire in Pill:

Fortunately, the damage was contained in the bins.

Paul Murphy, 42, is founder of the community group Pride in Pill,which is made up of residents who aim to make the area safer, cleaner and greener. He said he is disgusted that the bins have been vandalised.

“People are shocked. The bins must have been full of rubbish for someone to have started such a large fire,” said Mr Murphy.

“Newport City Council is doing its best to empty the bins but people come out of the shops and drop litter because the bins are overflowing. They (the council should clamp down on people dropping litter.”

“I am saddened and disgusted to hear about anti-social behaviour. Our group works hard to improve the area, but incidents like this put people off coming here.”

Mr Murphy said it was lucky the fires did not spread to a parked vehicle or nearby shops.

Newport city councillor for the ward Cllr Omar Ali said he was disappointed to hear about the fires and described it as a “minor setback”.

“We have been trying to get away from this kind of activity and looking towards the regeneration work that is happening on Commercial Road,” he said.

Cllr Ali is working closely with the neighbourhood policing team and the council on the matter.

A Gwent Police spokeswoman said officers are tackling anti-social behaviour in Pill as a priority. Anyone with any information relating to the incidents can call the fire crime message service on 0800 731 7287 or the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service control 24 hours a day on 01443 232380.

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service is holding Arson Awareness Week between May 18 to 22 – held to raise awareness of these types of fires and to remove risk.

Newport City Council strongly condemns deliberate acts of vandalism.

A Newport council spokeswoman said: “The council will have to replace the vandalised bins on Commercial Road at a cost to the people of Newport.

“The council would ask that anyone with information on this incident contacts the police.”