Children as young as five are being blamed for attacks on firefighters who were tackling a spate of arsons.

Officers say they faced a hail of stones from youngsters as they tackled the fires in empty council houses in Teesside.

Cleveland Fire Brigade said the situation in the Whinney Banks and Grove Hill areas of Middlesbrough was "chaotic" when the trouble broke out in the early evening on 5 June.

Town council officials have threatened to evict families whose children are involved in the attacks.

'Worrying situation'

No one was hurt during the two-hour arson spree, which saw five council properties set alight.

A spokesman for Cleveland Fire Brigade said: "This is a worrying situation for firefighters.

"But it is also dangerous for the children involved. If they are setting fires in unoccupied buildings they could become trapped.

"This could obviously result in injury or loss of life."

A spokesman for Middlesbrough council said: "We will evict people if we find out their children have been involved in these arsons or attacks on firefighters."