Undercliffe man says he has lost everything after firework attack on his home

The yobs lit a firework and pushed it through the letterbox, causing the fire which gutted his home.

Saeed Rehman, 55, says the thugs have made his life a misery after they ruined his terraced house in Northampton Street, Undercliffe, Bradford.

The attackers wedged a lit firework in his letterbox at the back of the house which exploded onto the far wall of his living room, setting fire to a green two-person sofa and which spread to the rest of the room, causing huge damage.

Mr Rehman has been staying with relatives since the attack, just after 8pm on Saturday.

No-one was in the house at the time of the incident.

The charred remains of the green sofa were moved into the back yard after the attack.

The living room’s walls were left black, fire damaged from the attack. The room’s wooden floorboards were broken up due to the impact.

Devastated Mr Rehman, who works as a community development assistant at Scholemoor Community Centre, returned to his home late last night to see the damage for himself.

He said: “It’s depressing when I open my door.

“I have lived here for the last seven years. I have lost everything. I might as well go and join the beggars in town.

“I did not sleep at all on Saturday night.

“I’m trying not to scream or to burst into tears.

“These people have made my life a misery. I am in such a state.

“This has taken everything, my life is in danger. There is nothing left for me in that house.

“I can’t go into my house. I am in dire straits. Everything has been completely gutted. I only have the clothes left that I am wearing.

“I have lived in Bradford since 1969. I am a law-abiding citizen.

“I went out at 8pm and came back at 11.30pm, my neighbours called the police.

“The police were already at my house when I came back.”

The firework attack also led to a road closure at the junction of Cliffe Road and Bolton Road in Undercliffe on Saturday night.

This area was closed so fire crews could access a hydrant on the opposite site of the road.

Anyone with any further information about the attack on Mr Rehman’s house is asked to call West Yorkshire Police on 101, quoting crime reference number 13170515301, dated November 4, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.

Meanwhile, there were reports of two separate attacks on the fire service and police staff within an hour of each other on Saturday night in Bradford.

At 8.20pm fire service staff were attacked by fireworks thrown by up to 30 youths.

The car from the West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service (WYFRS) had been sent to check out an alleged fire in Swinton Place, Shearbridge, Bradford.

The brigade then sent out a fire engine to this incident, which is normal procedure for busy nights like Bonfire Night. The passengers of the car were attacked by 20 to 30 youths throwing fireworks at them.

In the second attack, at 9.20pm, a fire car, resilience pump and police car were attacked by youths with fireworks on Easby Road.

This formed part of a busy Saturday night for the fire service, which received 385 calls and 100 incidents across West Yorkshire between 4pm and 11pm.

There were no reports of any incidents on Friday night.

Saturday’s incidents took place after WYFRS launched a campaign against attacks on firefighters after seeing a spike in violent incidents towards crews in the last year.

The campaign, called More than a Uniform, delivered a zero tolerance message in the run-up to the bonfire period – which is historically a peak time of year when attacks occur.

There was a 50 per cent year-on-year rise in attacks on its crews, to 95 during the 2016/17 financial year – from 65 the previous year.

A total of 33 of the attacks took place in November 2016 alone and 20 were on Bonfire Night itself.

West Yorkshire Police also increased its patrols over the weekend of fireworks celebrations.

The force ran Operation Keilderabbey from Friday night and over the weekend. It had a dedicated focus involving three police vehicles patrolling the district.

In a post on the West Yorkshire Police Facebook page, the force warned: “Whilst we appreciate the bonfire period can be a fun family event, we have a minority of identified core groups in each ward area that use fireworks to cause misery and disruption to our community.

“Where needed, we will be using dispersal powers to remove these young people from the streets and return them home to their parents.

“The dispersal power comes with a 48-hour exclusion period. If we work together, we can prevent unnecessary injuries and damage.”

Officers urged district shops to remove eggs and flour from the shop floor, and to not sell these items to young people during this period.

The police also identified hot spots for bonfire period-related trouble - the outer city, Girlington, Manningham and Clayton.