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30 August 2007
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Representatives from the Bradford Arson Task Force, Bradford Fire Station and Bradford Council’s Environmental Task Force will be joining forces to encourage people to clean up their act and help reduce deliberate rubbish fires.
There will be an opportunity for reporters to interview the people involved in trying to tackle the problem of arson.
When: Wednesday, September 5 at 2pm.
Where: Bradford Fire Station, Leeds Road, Bradford.
Contact: Kelly Thornham, PR Officer – 07917 835 296
Bradford’s new Arson Task Force is urging people to clean up their act to help drive down deliberate rubbish fires.
The district’s new Arson Task Force, which was set up by West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service in April, has already helped reduce the number of deliberate fires in Bradford from April to the end of July by almost 11 per cent compared with the same period last year.
Martin Day, Station Manager at Bradford’s new Fire Station in Leeds Road, said: “The difficulty we face is that people are piling rubbish outside their homes and on a number of occasions we have been called when the rubbish has been set on fire and spread to the property.
“We also face the problem that while we are dealing with these fires, other stations are having to come into Bradford to deal with more serious incidents. Only recently we had a house fire less than a mile from the station that appliances from Idle and Stanningley had to attend because we were busy elsewhere.
“If people have large amounts of rubbish they need removing, they should seek advice from the council, not leave it on the street or in front of their home.”
John Brownbridge, who heads the Arson Task Force, based in Shipley, said: “Rubbish fires accounted for a massive 44 per cent of all the calls attended by crews in the Bradford district between April 2006 and April this year, which is why we want to get the message across that people should not leave rubbish outside, as it acts as fuel for arsonists.”
Two dedicated officers from the task force monitor deliberate fires on a daily basis and they work closely with Bradford Council’s cleansing department, Environmental Task Force and street wardens to tackle fly-tipping and bad housekeeping.
They also work to reduce car crime and arson-related anti-social behaviour by visiting schools and working with the police.
Councillor Anne Hawkesworth, the Executive Member for Environment and Culture for Bradford Council, said: "We are working closely with West Yorkshire Fire Service to reduce this persistent problem of rubbish fires, which can be very dangerous to tackle and cause a lot of damage to nearby buildings.
"Fly-tipping is a problem and we do take action to clear rubbish as soon as possible after it is reported. The Council's Environmental Task Force has been busy over the summer months organising a series of community clean ups which have been well received.
"Unfortunately piles of rubbish are magnets to some people who think it is entertainment to set them alight. Fires are dangerous enough but the rubbish people dump can also be explosive or toxic. Arsonists are putting people's lives, and property, at risk and we will work with the fire service and West Yorkshire Police to bring them to justice.
"We ask residents to be vigilant and if they are aware of any fly-tipping or have evidence of people dumping rubbish to contact the council on 01274 431000.”
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NOTE TO EDITORS
From April to July 2006 there were 1,461 deliberate fires and from April 2007, when the Arson Task Force was set up, to July this year, there has been 1,308 – a fall of 153, which represents a drop of 10.47 per cent.
For further information contact Kelly Thornham in Media and PR on 01274 655807 or Stephen Hardy on 01274 655717.