POPLEY has become a hot spot for arsonists - with twice the amount of deliberate fires there than any other area in Basingstoke.

There have been 35 arsons in Popley alone between January and April. The next most popular area for firebugs is Brighton Hill, where the brigade has been called out 17 times to malicious fires.

The town's chief firefighter, Assistant Divisional Officer Jerry Leonard, said he is stepping up firefighters' presence in Popley in an attempt to reduce the number of arsons.

"We have already gone into John Hunt of Everest Community School and are working on sending crews into all the schools and different groups in the area to talk about community safety," he said.

"We want to talk to the young element, some of whom seem to be directly involved in the problem and some of whom, if we educate them sufficiently, may be able to assist us by telling their mates what they are doing is stupid."

April was the worst month for arsons in Basingstoke so far, with 45 deliberate fires compared with an average of 31 for the first three months of the year.

ADO Leonard put this increase down to the dry weather and school holidays, leading to a rise in grass and undergrowth fires, particularly in Carpenters Down.

"Setting fire to the grass or the bushes may seem to be a bit of a prank, but doing it somewhere like Carpenters Down where there are large areas of greenery and trees, can turn into a really dangerous situation," he said.