The number of fires in Islington has dropped by more than half in the past decade, according to new figures from London Fire Brigade.

In 2011, there were a total of 747 blazes – around two per day – compared to 1,753 in 2001.

The overall number of call-outs firefighters in the borough have attended – which also includes accidents and false alarms – has fallen by 46 per cent to 3,688 in the same period.

Deliberate fires have also fallen dramatically – by 88 per cent – with just 139 arson incidents reported last year.

Despite the downward trend – which reflects the picture across the capital – fire chiefs are urging people to report abandoned vehicles or rubbish to their councils and not to store a large amount of combustible materials against their property.

Rhys Powell, the brigade’s borough commander for Islington, said: “These figures show that people in Islington are less likely to have a fire than ever before and local residents are far safer as a result. The London Fire Brigade has worked incredibly hard to make the borough safer.