Cornwall Fire and Rescue service has asked for the public to be 'vigilant and safety conscious' if they are having a BBQ or a bonfire after year-on-year statistics showed a dramatic spike in call outs.

There has been a recent spate of fires in the county including incidents at Malpas, Helland and near the Helford Passage which have kept the fire crews considerably busier than this time 12 months ago.

Now, in statistics released by the service on Friday, August 12 it is clear to see the true extent of the increase in call outs.

The figures which span from August 9, 10, 11 show at least a double in callouts on a year-on year basis on all three of the days.

The biggest increase is on August 11 where there was a 350% increase in callouts to the service escalating from 30 last year to 135.

Falmouth Packet: The graph shows just how much callouts have risen in the same dates a year apartThe graph shows just how much callouts have risen in the same dates a year apart

In the month altogether the service has been called out 436 times already compared to 807 occurrences across the entirety of August 2021.

As such the service have urged the public to be A statement from Cornwall Fire and Rescue said: "Members of the public are requested to be vigilant and be safety conscious when having barbecues or controlled burning.

"Always ensure that you have a means of quickly extinguishing anything that gets out of hand and remember to dispose of portable barbecues safely and ensure that they are completely cold and place in a safe position."