THE fire service has issued a warning about starting fires deliberately after a particularly busy weekend.

Fire crews were called out to a number of blazes which are being treated as arson.

Firefighters also rushed to the River Severn after reports of two men in the water.

Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue service spokesman Alec Mackie warned about unruly behaviour in the run-up to Hallowe'en and Guy Fawkes night.

He said: "Unfortunately, despite the number of warnings we've given over the years, you still get a number of idiots.

"There have been several incidents in Worcester over the years and we urge people to take the necessary precautions when using fireworks, or go to an organised display.

"We frequently combine with the other emergency services, as we did this weekend, and remain the guardians of public safety."

He spoke after a man had to be forcibly removed from his flat in Cranham Drive, Warndon, Worcester, at 5.30pm on Sunday, after a passer-by reported seeing smoke.

The occupant refused to escape the fire but he was eventually brought out unhurt.

Worcester Police said a man had been arrested and was being held on suspicion of causing a fire with intent to endanger life.

Two hours later, fireworks were pushed through a letterbox of an occupied flat in Elgar Avenue, Malvern.

Nobody was hurt but the flat suffered extensive smoke damage. On Saturday night, firefighters were called after reports of two men jumping off the Worcester road bridge into the Severn.

They did not need rescuing and swam to the riverbank. They were fully clothed.

On a lighter note, a fire crew came to the rescue of two dogs that were stuck on a muddy bank of the Severn at Northwick, Worcester.