A SCHEME that explains the dangers of fire to children has been credited with stopping hundreds of youngsters becoming arsonists.

The Young Firesetters Scheme - run by Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service - claims a 98 per cent success rate among the teenagers it has come in contact with.

It has helped more than 100 children to break their fascination with fire in the past year.

Mick Stead, divisional officer for fire safety in south-east Hampshire, said the scheme's success was down to the way it treated young people.

"Both officers and civilians visit the children in pairs. It is all about education. There is no chastisement involved in the process at all."

He said volunteers could visit youngsters up to ten times to talk to them about the dangers of fire and show them how the fire service worked.

Feedback from the young people helped during the scheme's three-year history has shown that some have even begun to tell their friends not to play with fire.

"We had a letter from one boy's father which said that he had stopped two friends playing with matches and even though he then lost contact with them he felt he had made a difference."

Organisers hope that within the next 18 months they will be able to track the impact of the scheme on the number of youngsters responsible for starting fires.

Fareham and Gosport have been plagued by arson attacks over the past six months.

In August, Fareham firefighters started a partnership with police and Fareham Borough Council to try to tackle the problem, which they feared could lead to injuries or deaths.