A Totnes fire chief has hit out at 'mindless vandalism' which put lives at risk – and cost taxpayers money – after two attempts to start a fire in the public toilets on Steamer Quay Road on a busy night for the town's firefighters.

Watch Commander Paul Chambers said the calls on Thursday evening had committed a fire engine to something 'completely unnecessary' when it might have been needed for a real emergency.

And Mr Chambers also warned of the dangers of mixing drinking and cooking after a man, believed to be under the influence of alcohol, fell asleep while he tried to cook a late-night meal and woke to find his flat full of smoke.

He left the meal on the stove at his Parkers Way flat in the early hours of Friday and a neighbour, concerned he might have been drinking, dialled 999 at the first sign of smoke.

Mr Chambers said that when the fire crew arrived the flat was full of smoke and the man couldn't find his door key and had to open the kitchen window. The fire chief warned of the dangers of cooking after drinking and also appealed to people to leave their keys where they can easily be found in an emergency.

There was no damage at the flat and the fire was out by the time the firefighters gained access, leaving them with the job of ventilating the property.

Earlier that evening a different Totnes crew, led by crew commander Paul Allford, was called to the women's public toilets on Steamer Quay Road, after a metal waste bin was set alight.

The crew had been carrying out an exercise at the station with chemical suits and had to get out of them quickly to respond to the call.

They dealt with the fire, and were then called to what was thought to be a tree which had caught light, but it turned out to be just a bonfire.

The crew was leaving that job when they were called back to Steamer Quay for a second fire in the toilets.

Mr Chambers said: 'It's mindless vandalism, which is costing taxpayers money, and putting an engine out of use which could be used for a real emergency. The fire was contained in a metal bin so it wasn't too bad, but it was just the inconvenience, and the fact that it is jeopardising people's lives, for something completely unnecessary.'