FIREFIGHTERS in the Bradford district once again came under attack on Bonfire Night - but the city escaped largely unscathed on what has become a dreaded event for many.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said the attacks on fire engines unfolded on Rugby Place in Lidget Green and on Redcliffe Street in Keighley.

There was also major disorder in the Harehills area of Leeds, but the fire service said the attacks were not on the same level as previous years. Bonfire Night horror in Bradford hit the headlines in 2018 when a pub came under siege and a crossing on Great Horton Road was set alight.

But the power of volunteers and communities joining together to tackle potential problems appears to have stymied major disruption.

PC Chris Cahill, of the Bradford West Neighbourhood Policing Team, said firework legislation “needs updating”, but added: “Pleased with our Bradford response and the help of the community.”

In responding to the Harehills disorder, he tweeted: “Sorry to hear about last night, we had problems last year in Great Horton, Bradford. By pulling together with the community we had a normal Bonfire Night. It’s achievable! Hope your teams are all safe.”

Community volunteers, faith leaders and other partners turned out in Bradford East and in Keighley, a community-led operation with a partnership approach between the police, fire service, youth services, plus churches and mosques was a “fantastic success”.

Inspector Khalid Khan, of the Keighley Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “Overall it made a huge difference. I think others will learn from it.”

Watch Commander Ahsan Ali, of Keighley Fire Station, said that it had a “massive impact” in terms of trouble and anti-social behaviour.

In total the fire service attended 149 incidents across West Yorkshire - with 66 of those incidents being bonfire-related.

The fire service said while thousands of people celebrated safely, there were some pockets of disorder involving the misuse of fireworks.

This included the three separate attacks on fire engines in Bradford, Keighley and Harehills. Fortunately there were no injuries reported.

Benjy Bush, Tactical Commander for the Bonfire period, said: “The majority of people celebrated safely, however there were unfortunately some incidents of reckless behaviour with fireworks across West Yorkshire including attacks on fire engines which we condemn.

“The level of attacks has been fewer than in some recent years - but any attack on our crews who are working hard to keep the public safe is one too many.

“However, what we’d really like to focus on is the vast majority of the public who celebrated safely, whether it was attending an organised bonfire or hosting small celebrations at home.

“We would also like to thank our partner agencies, community volunteers and community leaders who have pulled together supporting us around the bonfire period.

“As usual Bonfire Night has been one of our busiest nights of the year – and I’d like to pay tribute to our staff who worked really hard to keep people safe and quickly deal with any fires that got out of control.”