A family were burned out of their Bradford home after arsonists poured petrol through the letterbox.

Restaurant worker Mohammed Mahroof, his wife Shamil Arshid and their three young children have been left homeless by last night's attack.

Fire crews spent two-and-a-half hours tackling the blaze, at Sandford Road, Bradford Moor, Bradford.

Arsonists struck on two separate occasions - with the second attack gutting much of the ground floor of the house.

Mr and Mrs Mahroof raised the alarm at 10.15pm when they returned home after visiting relatives to discover smoke billowing from the property.

The father-of-three had already returned to the house at about 9pm after a neighbour spotted a pile of milk crates on fire in the back yard.

He noticed there was a strong smell of petrol - indicating the blaze had been started deliberately.

An hour later petrol was poured through the letter box. Mr Mahroof, 36, said: "When I opened the front door I could see there were plenty of flames in the kitchen. I wanted to go in and save the house but my wife pulled me back.

"I don't know why anyone would want to do this to us. There is just no reason for it."

Police today confirmed the incident was being treated as Arson and appealed for witnesses to come forward.

Bradford Fire Station officer David Swales said: "The fire caused severe damage to the kitchen area. An accelerant was used and it is lucky no-one was injured."

Anyone with information about either arson attack is asked to contact Bradford Central Police on Bradford 376459.

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