HOW appalling to hear that 13 of the 19 Bonfire Night attacks on West Yorkshire firefighters happened in the Bradford district.

Why is there such a major problem in Bradford with people throwing stones and fireworks at the emergency services?

What is the motivation for targeting the very people who are trying their best to keep residents safe?

It seems to be seen as some sort of game by a certain age group in certain areas and more work needs to be carried out in schools and in the home to get the message across to young people at an early age that this is serious and they are playing with people’s lives.

And it’s clear that far more needs to be done to catch and make an example of people who behave in this way.

Firefighters take enough risks without being faced with this kind of stupidity and vicious behaviour. It is especially concerning to hear that police officers in riot gear had to be drafted into Undercliffe to deal with a group of youths who were intent on causing mayhem. The scenes must have been distressing for right-thinking residents.

It’s now crucial that the public, community leaders, police and firefighters pull together to identify those responsible for Saturday night’s dreadful scenes.

And perhaps there needs to be another discussion about the ease with which youths seem able to get their hands on fireworks.

While the majority of people in the district celebrated Bonfire Night in a responsible manner, the growing number of unsavoury incidents means many may remember the 5th of November for the wrong reasons.