A SPATE of "nuisance" arson attacks in Redditch has prompted talks between police and the fire brigade on how to tackle the problem.

On Saturday, thousands of pounds damage was caused to Dixons estate agents in Church Green East after a fire started in a wheelie bin spread to the main building.

Fire crews spent two hours dealing with the blaze, which left the rear of the office gutted.

It was just one of a spate of bin fires which were set in the town centre within hours of each other.

Redditch station officer Richard Lawrence said: "These fires are a nuisance. They can put people at risk if they spread and the children who light them are at risk.

"We want anybody who sees anything suspicious to phone the police. Vigilance is one of the ways we can stop this.''

He added: "My main concern is a fire engine is being used to deal with these calls and it could be needed for something more important, like a house fire."

Mr Lawrence said working with the police to combat the problem would be a natural progression.

"We are already working with them on car fires and we'll now work with them over this," he said.

The joint initiative to tackle car fires has recently been hailed a success.

Monthly meetings to discuss arson ''hot spots'' started in January and since then, fire crews have seen a big downturn in malicious car fires.

Chief Insp Dave Willetts, of Redditch police, said: "We've already been working with the fire service in relation to car fires and we'll continue our contacts to also take in fires of this nature."