Situation at old Yorkshire Martyrs school site 'ridiculous'

A Freedom of Information Request (FOI) submitted by the Telegraph & Argus has revealed the number of emergency call-outs to fires at the former Yorkshire Martyrs school site in Tong.

The school at Westgate Hill Street closed in 2010 following a restructuring by the Leeds Catholic Diocese.

There have been several issues at the dilapidated school in the years since it closed - including one incident where someone was seriously injured.

A court case in 2019 tracked worrying incidents at the site. The court was told that pupils from Tong school were playing football until 8pm and then went into the building. They were confronted by an older group of youths already there. One of the pupils was assaulted and left with a serious head injury.

The FOI revealed that West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has been called out 10 times since the start of 2024.

The data covers the period from January 1 to November 12.

The incidents were reported on February 13, April 20, June 20, July 19, July 25, twice on August 7, September 9, September 24, and November 12.

The FOI also showed firefighters were called out three times to the derelict site during 2023 - two times in May and one time in June.

Concerns have been raised about the site (Image: Newsquest)

In the 2019 court case, it was revealed that the site was owned by three brothers who were directors in the Batley-based family business, Apollo Beds.

The old school was purchased in 2016, with a view to building a new factory, the court heard. 

But legal action was brought against Atsham Ul-Haq, Azhar Ul-Haq and Imran Ul-Haq when they were accused of failing to ensure the site was secure and ordered to pay more than £20,000.

Concerns have continued to be raised about community safety and the site’s deteriorating condition.

It was declared an arson hotspot during a meeting held by West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service in 2022.

A spokesperson for Bradford Council said it was aware of “a number of incidents of fires and vandalism” in recent months.

They added that Environmental Health and Building Control teams have been involved in dealing with the aftermath of these incidents and "ensuring that the area is safe in conjunction with the owners".

'It's an eyesore'

Councillor Ursula Sutcliffe (Tong, Green), who is also a member of the West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Authority said: “It’s really worrying to keep hearing issues at the old school site.

“The building is an eyesore, and the owners need to get their act together and demolish the building. The legal process is quite complicated, but Bradford Council has made mistakes with how they have handled this in the past.

“This is one of the main routes into the city and you can see this building for miles. It absolutely isn’t good enough and we need the Council to take this seriously.”

'This situation needs to be brought under control'

Councillor Celia Hickson (Tong, Green) added: “The number of fire service callouts at Yorkshire Martyr’s is frankly ridiculous.

“The failure of the private owner to keep their building secure is costing taxpayers a lot of money and we are urging the fire service to explore ways to start recovering their costs.

“It’s clear the owners don’t have a plan for the building, and they need to sell it to someone that will be more responsible. Bradford Council also need to make sure they are using every power they have available to them to deal with this.

"Before Green councillors were elected in Tong Ward they took their eyes of the ball and we are doing what we can to make sure they get this situation under control.”

Responding to the latest concerns, a spokesperson for Bradford Council said: “We are aware that there have been a number of incidents of fires and vandalism, and our Environmental Health and Building Control teams have been involved in dealing with the aftermath of these incidents, ensuring that the area is safe in conjunction with the owners.

“There is a two-metre-high boundary fence around the site which is the responsibility of the owners. If this is repaired and maintained, it will make the site secure. Our Environmental Health team is liaising with the owners to ensure this happens.”

The Telegraph & Argus approached the owners of the site, who did not wish to comment.