A fire chief has called for a clampdown on “idiot” drivers who are dicing with death in Bradford after an area of the city was likened to the Nurburgring race track in Germany.

Drivers and quad bike riders have been speeding on streets around the Birksland Industrial Estate in Bowling on an almost nightly basis for a couple of months, it has been alleged.

On numerous occasions, the high-speed races have resulted in crashes – including one on Sunday night where a car overturned after crashing into a wall.

Steve Haley, watch commander at Bradford fire station in Leeds Road, compared the area around Leeds Road, Birksland Street and Mount Street with the German racing circuit where members of the public can drive their vehicles to the limit.

He said: “They do laps. It’s like Nurburgring. There are still people about and children. It’s dangerous, it’s putting lives at risk – not just those who are in or on the racing vehicles – people who happen to be anywhere near them too.”

Now, police, councillors and fire chiefs want to put a stop to the dangerous driving craze before someone gets killed.

Inspector Andy Gallant, of the Bradford Moor, Bowling and Barkerend Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “If people continue to drive like this we are going to have a fatality.

“I am working closely with road policing colleagues and putting in an increased presence around the key times.

“When people are driving like this they do not acknowledge that we are in a period of celebration around Ramadan. Children are out and about and they don’t have the street-wise brain to look at a car and think that is travelling quite fast – they will step out on to the road.

“In hot weather and dry road conditions people with fast cars seem to think it is a licence to drive like idiots.

“We will deal with the drivers accordingly – if you drive like an idiot, you will be prosecuted.”

Councillor Imran Hussain, deputy leader of Bradford Council and portfolio holder for safer and stronger communities, said: “I understand that there are incidents up there where people are driving quad bikes or motor vehicles in a wholly dangerous and inappropriate manner.

“This dangerous driving is not only putting the people who are driving in danger, but is also putting other people’s safety at risk. We put the safety of residents first. Anything that compromises that is unacceptable and we will take the appropriate action.”

Bowling and Barkerend ward Councillor Zameer Hussain Shah said the same area had previously had cameras installed to tackle fly-tipping and other anti-social behaviour. However, he believed the cameras had now been removed after successfully combatting the problem.

On the dangerous drivers, Coun Shah (Con) said: “They are taking their own lives and other people’s lives into their hands. It needs to stop.

“I will be in touch with the police to look at anyway we can stop this.

“They could potentially cause a fatality or seriously injure a pedestrian or another motorist.”

Councillor Imran Ahmed Khan (Lab, Bowling and Barkerend) said firefighters had more important things to be doing than attending crashes caused by racing vehicles.

“It is ridiculous and it puts other people’s lives at risk,” he said.

Coun Hassan Uzzaman Khan (Lab, Bowling and Barkerend) said the problem stretched around the Bowling and Barkerend ward.

He added: “They do not care for the children or elderly people, they just drive. This is a time when police and local leaders need to come out and stand against this. We need to save our children and local elderly people.”

Firefighters from Bradford station were called to an overturned Honda Civic in Birksland Street on Sunday at 7.20pm. It had hit a wall before overturning, but they found the driver had fled when they arrived.