Bradford is on course to remain West Yorkshire's worst hotspot for arson attacks.

A staggering eight out of ten blazes attended by fire crews are deliberate.

And West Yorkshire fire chiefs estimate that, by the end of 2007/8, the number of arson attacks in the district will number more than 4,000 - outstripping their reduction targets by more than 600.

A report discussed by West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority today stated that while the overall number of fires was falling, arson was on the increase.

Keith Robinson, Bradford district manager for West Yorkshire Fire Service, acknowledged the city remained a problem area. He said: "Arson does remain higher here than other places, but we need to carry on working with the Arson Task Force and Bradford Council.

"It is a long-term goal for us to get this down - we will get there. It is just a case that it isn't going to happen overnight."

While the number of fires attended in Leeds between April 1 and September 30 was higher than in Bradford, the percentage of those caused deliberately was slightly lower.

In Bradford, 83 per cent of all fires were deemed to be deliberate, while in Kirklees the figure was 74 per cent and in Calderdale it averaged out at 78 per cent.

Mr Robinson said: "I wish I had the answers to the million-dollar question as to why it happens more in Bradford. It is just one of those weird situations - we are doing more and more work but the figures continue to rise.

"I think one of the reasons they are higher is because some people tend to set fire to their rubbish rather than taking it to the tip, and we have to attend each of these incidents. That is why the work of the Arson Task Force is so important."

Based on the first six months of figures, it is expected the overall number of deliberate fires will rise to 4,168 in 2007/8 compared to 3,891 in 2006/7. That would be the highest number since 2003/4. The figures show that between March and September, all six fires recorded at schools and further education buildings in the Bradford area were started deliberately.

Of the 336 vehicle fires dealt with by fire crews, 295 were deemed to be arson while 96 per cent of the 1,100 bin fires were also started deliberately.

In 2006/7, the percentage of deliberate fires in Bradford was 80 per cent, while West Yorkshire as a whole was 78 per cent.

Gurdev Bagri, of the Arson Task Force, said he was sure the figures would have been even higher if the group had not been as active. He said: "I think the task force is definitely working.

"The bonfire period was busy, but also in Bradford some of the contributory reasons, I think, is that there is a lot of work going on, so there are a lot of skips and rubbish being left about which we work hard to clear up.

"We do all sorts of work with other agencies to make sure buildings are secure, abandoned cars are reported to the police and we have an officer who does a lot of work in schools and with young people."

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