BRADFORD East MP Imran Hussain has praised emergency services for their "exemplary" work in tackling the major tyre fire which "could have been so much worse".

Mr Hussain visited the scene yesterday to see first-hand the extensive damage the fire has caused over the past five days.

At the scene, at a go kart track in Spring Mill Street on the outskirts of the city centre, Mr Hussain spoke to officials from West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, West Yorkshire Police, Bradford Council, the Environment Agency and Public Health England.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

Fire crews have been at the scene since the early hours of Monday tackling the fire, with 100 firefighters trying to control the blaze which had taken hold of a large pile of dumped tyres. It has caused widespread disruption to the city throughout this week and seen huge amounts of toxic smoke spread into the air and across the city.

Mr Hussain said: "Over the last five days, firefighters, police officers and Bradford Council staff have been on-site to extinguish this blaze and protect residents.

"I want to thank them for their exemplary response and hard work in extremely adverse and dangerous circumstances to ensure that residents are kept safe.

“Having visited the site it is clear that whilst the damage has been considerable, it could have been so much worse with other nearby properties and residential areas a short distance away, and the emergency services should be praised for being able to limit the impact of this fire to the extent that they have.

“Whilst I understand that the fire has now largely been extinguished, dangers still exist at the site and the health and wellbeing of residents must remain our key priority, and I am continuing to push for thorough health impact assessments from the Environment Agency and Public Health England.”