THE manager of a Bradford taxi firm has spoken out after a brick was hurled at a vehicle in a late-night attack. 

Tawheed Ghazanfar, of Barkerend Taxis, said one of his drivers was on Dick Lane, Tyersal, on Monday when the missile was launched, causing extensive damage to the car’s windscreen, as can be seen above.

The suspect/s were said to have run off down an alley. The dash cam footage below shows the incident (from around 14 seconds).

Mr Ghazanfar has previously hit out over other attacks over the past year, which largely centred on Broadstone Way, the main road through Holme Wood estate, rather than Tyersal. 

Police have condemned the behaviour of those responsible and said such incidents will not be tolerated.

However, officers said they had been working with Bradford Council and social housing provider Incommunities to tackle the problem and there had been a “significant drop” in such incidents being reported.

Speaking about the latest incident, Mr Ghazanfar said: “A lot of the drivers are scared to go in that area. 

“The driver will be off the road for two-three days, it’s not really on. The lads from Tyersal and Holme Wood, they need to stop bricking cars. 

“I don’t understand what they are getting out of it. It does worry the drivers a lot, but what can they do? That’s their job.”

Mr Ghazanfar added: “Obviously there’s a lot of good people living in Tyersal and Holme Wood, it’s unfair if you stop sending taxis.

“Police should patrol more, they should drive around more.”

A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson confirmed that officers were called to reports of bricks being thrown at a taxi in Dick Lane at around 10.04pm on Monday.

Andy Thornton, Bradford South Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) Inspector, told the Telegraph & Argus: “This incident was distressing for the taxi driver and the customers who were inside, and it is a dangerous action we will not tolerate. 

“Fortunately, no one was seriously injured.

“Over the last few months we have worked hard to tackle this type of behaviour by increasing patrols and working with partner agencies including Bradford Council and Incommunities, which have resulted in a number of successful operations which has led to a significant drop in these types of incidents from being reported.”

He added: “We encourage any witnesses to Monday’s incident to get in touch, and we will continue to work closely with our partners to tackle this.”

Anyone with information that can assist with enquiries is asked to contact the Bradford South NPT on 101, quoting incident number 1831 of August 23, 2021.

Buses in Bradford have also fallen victim to these types of attacks, with First Bus warning earlier this year that “drastic action”, including withdrawing services in certain areas, might have to be taken at a time when the situation was particularly bad. 

West Yorkshire Police has previously deployed so-called ‘trojan buses’ to crack down on anti-social behaviour in the district.

The tactic sees police officers in plain clothes ride on bus services through ‘hotspot’ areas.

They have been used around the Bonfire Night period in Bradford, a time when such behaviour often intensifies.