Fire investigators from across the UK are meeting on Teesside to pool their knowledge.

'The Arson Epidemic' conference is being held in one of the UK's "hotspots" for deliberate fires.

The event at the Riverside Stadium, in Middlesbrough will provide 200 delegates with up-to-date information on investigation techniques.

The speakers include a forensic psychologist, looking at new profiling perspectives from the United States, and a pathologist examining pathology as an aid to investigate fire related deaths.

'Invaluable contribution'

The conference has been organised by Detective Constable Graham Thompson, a member of the joint Police and Fire Brigade Arson Investigation Unit.

He said: "We have a wide range of speakers who will look at perspectives from the US and Europe as well as recent advances made in this country."

Mr Thompson said that the relatively slow advance in fire investigation over the years is, in part, due to a lack of sharing of information.

The conference is one of the first steps in improving that situation.

He added: "The speakers are all experts in their particular fields, selected because of the invaluable contribution they can make to fire investigation and training issues in the fight against arson."