Residents are embroiled in a blazing row with demolition workers over the burning of debris on a site near their homes.

Alarmed neighbours living on Leeds Road at Thackley, close to Moorview Business Park, called firefighters early on Saturday after waking up to flames and plumes of thick smoke from three fires on the site.

Firefighters from Idle attended the scene and put out three individual fires. They are now preparing a report for police on the incident, which is also being investigated by McDermot Homes, the company planning to build 30 flats on the land.

Eileen Shephered, who has lived in her home for 50 years said the experience was the latest in a string of incidents: “You could feel the heat on the windows – it was horrific.”

“There’s been constant fires for the past couple of weeks even though we’ve all been in touch with the Council.

“They’ve been pushing debris up against our back wall – I’m terrified what’s going to happen next. Sparks have been flying everywhere, it’s not safe. The flames have been gigantic. I hope environmental health picks this up and prosecutes them.”

The site manager who would not give his name or identify the Bradford-based company he worked for, said the residents had “got it wrong”.

“We haven’t been setting fires. What they thought was smoke was actually plumes of dust from concrete we’ve been smashing up,” he said.

And added: “We’ve been having lots of grief on this site from children getting in and wrecking our machines, but the residents aren’t saying anything about that. Saturday’s fire was nothing to do with us. We can only try and protect the site as best we can.”

Watch manager Steve Wolstenholme from Idle Fire Station confirmed crews turned out to tackle three large fires which had been “deliberately ignited”.

“The police have asked us to put a report together.

There were three big piles of debris with decades of rubbish, we don’t know what was in there or who set them alight. It’s up to the police to pursue now.”

A spokesman for McDermot Homes said the company would investigate the incident.