A COUNCILLOR said he “dreads to think” how many attacks on firefighters there could be as Bonfire Night gets closer.

The comments were made in relation to figures showing there had been 15 such attacks between April and early last month.

And nine of these were on Bradford crews.

West Yorkshire Fire Authority were discussing the performance of the service since the start of the financial year at a meeting late last month.

Referring to the attacks on firefighters, Leeds Councillor Gohar Almas pointed out that many were in the same area. He said: “Unfortunately it is one particular authority where we have the biggest number of attacks – 60 per cent in one area.

“Are there any targeted interventions, particularly in that one area?

“We’re going into the bonfire period – I’m dreading to think what the figures will be then.”

Mr Walton said: “We do have a number of interventions.

“The planning for the Bonfire period has been underway for a number of months. Meetings have been happening with police in specific districts.

“Clearly from the numbers you’re saying you are referring to Bradford. We have had a number of meetings in Bradford.

“We have diversionary activities that are often led by local faith communities in the run up to Bonfire Night.”

He pointed out that earlier this year a 13-year-old boy was prosecuted for an attack on a firefighter last September.

When fire crews attended and incident in Rokeby Gardens, Eccleshill when a group of young people approached the crew and a firefighter was punched.

The youth was referred to the Bradford Youth Offender Panel for six months and his parent/guardian will have to pay the £50 compensation.

Since the Fire Authority meeting there has been a further attack in Bradford – on Broadstone Way, Holme Wood last Monday evening.

The issue of attacks on firefighters was also raised at a meeting of Bradford Council’s Bradford East Area Committee last week.

Councillor Riaz Ahmed (Lib Dem, Bradford Moor) also sits on the Fire Authority, and pointed out that almost half the attacks on fire crews in West Yorkshire had been in the Constituency.

He was referring to the figures in the report that showed there were seven attacks on the Bradford crew, based on Leeds Road - more than all crews in Leeds, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield combined.

BBC documentary series Bradford on Duty, which aired earlier this year, included an episode that highlighted the issues emergency services faced over the bonfire period.