ARSON-plagued streets are to be blocked off before Bonfire Night after firefighters were called to 110 blazes in one week last year.

Hyndburn Council, the fire brigade and police will be restricting access to eight streets in a bid to cut the number of deliberately-started fires in the run up to November 5.

The Central and Springhill wards in Accrington and Church have been classed as fire trouble hot spots' and will be targeted by officials who want to crack down on anti-social behaviour and crime.

Traditionally fire crews have to deal with a massive increase in deliberate fires during the first week of November. Last year Hyndburn station was called to 37 deliberate fires in October, 122 in November and just 15 in December. Of the 122 incidents in November, 110 were in the first week.

Call outs around Bonfire Night are mostly instigated by youngsters, with rubbish being set alight and fireworks being thrown around.

Richmond Hill, Richmond Street, Pendle Street, Fountain Street, Garbett Street, Ormerod Street, Perth Street and Higher Antley Street will be closed to anyone other than residents from 4pm to 11pm on the weekend of November 3 and 4 and also on Bonfire Night.

Council staff will be moving in to the area in the week leading up to November 5 to remove any rubbish that could tempt fireraisers. There will also be a high visibility police presence to enforce the closures.

Michael Franklin, group manager for Hyndburn fire station, said: "Last year youngsters were setting fire to dumped fridges and plastics, which give off dangerous chemicals. They also heaped rubbish and set fire to it.

"The fire department have been putting in lots of time and effort to make sure that the residents of Accrington are safe this Bonfire Night. Only the night will tell if our actions have been worthwhile.

"Our main focus is to create no-go' areas on eight streets surrounding Lower Antley which are often targeted for bonfires."

The action is being carried out in conjunction with the Community Safety Partnership, made up of the fire brigade, police, council and other official groups.

The partnership is currently on target to meet its government-set target for crime reduction, but October and November are the two worst months for possible increases in offending.

Mark Bates, partnership development officer, said: "By having a presence in these streets we hope to prevent what happened last year. Around 74 per cent of the fires in November were started between the hours of 4pm and 11pm, which is why we are closing the streets during this time.

"This is not about spoiling people's fun - it is about keeping residents safe."

The fire brigade will also sponsor the Peel Park bonfire and organise free buses from these areas so that children and teenagers can go to an official supervised display.