Oxfordshire is to receive £30,000 towards the removal of abandoned cars which may become a target for arsonists.
The money was announced by HM Chief Inspector of Fire Services, Sir Graham Meldrum.
It will be spent on extending a car clearance scheme, where cars at risk of being set on fire are identified, then removed by con- tractors.
Work is being overseen by Thames Valley Crime and Disorder Partnership, which aims to halt an increase in car fires by March 2004.
Steve Wain, project manager for the Arson Control Forum of the Thames Valley, said: "The three fire brigades in the area have an agreement with Thames Valley Police to work together to reduce the burden of arson.
"It has been identified from the start of the collaboration that car crime and vehicle arson are clearly linked.
"Removal of abandoned vehicles is a very practicable way of achieving a real reduction in the number of car fires."
The Arson Control Forum was established in 2000 to co-ordinate action to reduce arson. The Government wants to reduce arson by 30 per cent by 2009.
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