Arson attacks were responsible for more than half of Bradford’s major fires last year.

In 2009, the district’s firefighters tackled 1,200 blazes of which 672 were believed to have been started deliberately.

The figures are based on records of “primary fires” which occur in buildings or vehicles.

It was the second highest number of deliberately started fires recorded across West Yorkshire in 2009, after Leeds, where 749 acts of arson were recorded among 1,521 fires investigated.

However, the overall number of primary fires has reduced in Bradford over the last five years from 1,741 blazes in 2005 of which 1,124 were deliberate.

Steve Richings, West Yorkshire’s Fire and Rescue Service’s assistant district manager for Bradford, said: “The reduction in fires is mostly as a direct result of work carried out by the Arson Task Force, the fire service and its partners.

“In terms of education and enforcement we have assistance from the police, Bradford Council and schools.

“We look at every single deliberate fire and how we can prevent them or reduce the risk.

“They give advice to people who have been targeted and talk to businesses. Each bit probably doesn’t have a significant impact but overall it has a massive impact.”

He said factors including population size and pockets of deprivation went some way to explain the high amount of fires in Bradford compared to the rest of the region.

Councillor David Gray (Lib Dem, Bolton and Undercliffe) is a member of the West Yorkshire Fire Authority.

He said: “Over the years we have had a significantly large amount of fires but it has gone down because the fire service has done extensive consultation with local communities.

“They go around schools, community centres and forums.

“The firefighters advise people not to put rubbish out in their gardens. Youths come along and set fire to it, “Residents can help reduce the problem by taking their rubbish to tips.

“It is the hard work of the fire service that has led to this reduction in fires.”