Firefighters are saddling up and using pedal power to highlight fire risks across the capital.
Following a successful pilot project in Hounslow last year, the Brigade’s Community Safety Cycle Team is being extended to 11 more boroughs.
The scheme will see four cycle teams operating in the North West, North East, South East and South West of the capital, with each team covering three boroughs over the summer months.
Riding specially marked Fire and Rescue mountain bikes, each team will be made up of eight riders – two per watch - who will patrol their designated area in pairs.
The riders, who have all received specialist cycle training from the Metropolitan Police, will cover open land and parkland to identify potential arson sites, as well as fire risks in other areas, such as abandoned vehicles, unsecured empty properties, overgrown hedges, abandoned cylinders and areas with evidence of deliberate fire-setting.
Once the Brigade’s cycle teams have identified potential fire risks they will report them to the local council for removal.
London Fire Brigade’s Assistant Commissioner for Community Safety, Steve Turek said: “As well as helping us to prevent both accidental and deliberate fires, this is a chance to increase our presence and visibility in the community and to work with the public to pass on our fire safety messages. It is also a great example of how the Brigade is working with our partners to reduce fires across London.”
The boroughs involved in the scheme are Hounslow, Hillingdon, Ealing, Havering, Waltham Forest, Redbridge, Bromley, Bexley, Greenwich, Lambeth, Merton and Wandsworth.
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