Children as young as 10 involved in third attack on Sunderland firefighters, says chief

A fire crew responding to an incident in Commercial Road, Hendon, at 8.20pm on Monday, September 7, were attacked by a large group of youths.

The yobs threw stones at emergency service workers who were trying to extinguish a fire which had been started deliberately.

It’s the third time in under a week that Sunderland firefighters have been attacked by large groups of youths whose actions have been condemned as ‘disgraceful’ by members of the community.

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service’s chief fire officer, Chris Lowther, tweeted: “For the third time in a week, fire crews were attacked last night by a large group of youths. This time in Hendon.

"Some of the attackers were as young as 10 years old. Parents, do you know where your kids are and what they are doing?”

Firefighters were threatened and pelted with rocks by groups of youths in Downhill on Thursday and Saturday evenings last week (September 3 and 5) making this the third incident in less than a week.