POLICE will only investigate if new evidence about fires connected to former Bradford City chairman Stafford Heginbotham comes to light, after calls were made for a fresh investigation, the Telegraph & Argus can reveal today.

A spokesman the West Yorkshire force said it was not specifically re-opening or re-investigating the eight fires that have been brought up in Martin Fletcher's controversial new book about the Bradford City fire disaster in 1985 which cost 56 lives.

The book claims the fire at the club's Valley Parade stadium was one of at least nine blazes at businesses owned by or associated with the club's former chairman Stafford Heginbotham, who died in 1995.

A police spokesman said: "If anything new comes to light we will look at it. Should any evidence come forward we will consider its significance."

He added: "Current publicity has renewed media interest in the tragic events at Valley Parade in 1985, in which 56 people lost their lives and many others suffered serious injury.

"The circumstances of the Bradford City fire have previously been scrutinised in Mr Justice Popplewell's inquiry, at the inquest and in the civil courts.

"West Yorkshire Police is aware of recent media reporting in relation to the recent publication of a book and continues to maintain an open mind."

The force's stance comes after Sir Oliver Popplewell, the judge who conducted the 1985 inquiry into the Valley Parade fire, said police should look at the eight other fires connected to Mr Heginbotham to "see if there was anything sinister".

Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham, who was influential in getting the new inquest into the Hillsborough disaster, told the Guardian, which has been serialising Mr Fletcher's book, there should be a new investigation in the stadium fire.

The newspaper yesterday reported Mr Burnham as saying that he had "always felt that the original Popplewell inquiry was conducted with undue haste" and that "matters were not thoroughly looked into at the time".

It reported that he was calling on the police to re-examine the quality of the original investigation into the fire at Bradford City, and in the light of this new information, consider whether a new investigation should be reopened.

Mr Burnham took to Twitter yesterday after receiving criticism that he was only trying to gain media coverage on a matter he was not an expert in.

Replying to two fans he tweeted: "Can assure you both I'm not. Was asked a question & answered it. But Qs can't be left hanging. Matter for police."

Meanwhile, City fan Trevor Eager has backed up what former detective inspector Raymond Falconer told the Telegraph & Argus yesterday about the man who dropped the cigarette which started the fire.

Mr Falconer told how the man was "devastatingly honest" about how he had dropped a cigarette and intended to put it out with his foot. But it went through a hole in the floor and, despite attempts to pour coffee on it, the fire started.

Mr Eager, now 76, of Cleckheaton, said: "I was sat within five yards of where it started. I saw the first smoke and the first lick of flames coming up.

"I saw it happen. He emptied a flask on to it."

He continued: "I feel quite angry that this person has made these comments in this book. This whole episode has been made up.

"Nobody could argue with what happened. It was purely an accident."