Arson task forces in West Yorkshire have exceeded their targets for reducing fires involving property and cars, pulling in more than £5m in reward grants for their local communities.

According to West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service, cases of arson in the Leeds district have fallen by 75% since 2001/2 to 899, attracting a £3.35m performance grant. Deliberate and accidental fires in Bradford have fallen by over 49% to 1,310, attracting £1.2m. And deliberate and accidental fires in Wakefield have been reduced by 41% to 680, resulting in £750,000.

"Arson is the single biggest cause of fire in the UK, resulting in two deaths and 50 injuries every week," said assistant chief fire officer, Craig McIntosh. "The aim of creating multi-agency arson task forces was to bring together agencies such as fire, police and district councils to tackle fire-setting at its roots by better prevention, education, detection and prosecution.

Statistics show that a reduction in arson across the Bradford and Wakefield districts has also been accompanied by a welcome drop in accidental fires as well. That's a fantastic achievement which improves the quality of life for many communities traditionally plagued by crime and antisocial behaviour."

The reward grants are to be spent on improvements in community safety.