A nightclub owner today spoke of his lucky escape after a petrol bomb attack at his Bradford premises.

The lobby at Rhythmland in Hall Ings - formerly known as the Two Flights Up Club - was badly damaged after the attack at 1.20am today. It left three floors of the club smoke-logged.

Firefighters said that a passing motorist spotted three men throw a concrete block through the window, followed by petrol and matches. There was an explosion and the fire spread to the ground floor bar area.

Licensee Trevor Jones, who lives above the nightclub, said it was lucky he wasn't in at the time of the attack.

"We'd opened up the club until about midnight and then I'd gone to play snooker with friends,'' he said.

"At about 2am, one of my friends got a call on his mobile phone, asking if we knew the club was on fire. We rushed back to find the police and fire brigade already on the scene."

Firefighters managed to contain the blaze to the club's entrance area. "If I'd been upstairs at the time and had rushed down and opened up the lobby doors, the fire could have been a lot worse - who knows what would have happened to me," said Mr Jones.

He was mystified as to who could have carried out the attack, but said it might be people who were concerned about his application for a 24- hour licence.

As the attackers were fleeing the scene, the men and their car were caught on camera by security cameras at the Telegraph & Argus, situated across the road from the nightclub. Police have taken the videotape and are examining its contents.

Bradford fire station officer Barry Roberts said: "The lobby of the nightclub was severely damaged in the attack and the explosion meant the flames spread to the bar area. The blaze has affected the electrics in the building but luckily the damage was minimal as it was spotted so quickly."

Today, the nightclub remained closed with one of its outer windows boarded up. Mr Jones said it would reopen for business on Thursday.

A spokesman from Bradford Central police said: "We believe petrol was used in the attack and the incident may have been caught on security cameras.''

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