A family who fled their burning home after a suspected arson attack today told how they fear the incident was a "final warning" for them to quit the area.

Susan Hoyle and her partner Kevin Aubrey revealed the incident, in which the porchway of their home was devastated by fire, is the latest in a string of attacks on the family.

And today Mrs Hoyle, 40, made an emotional plea for the campaign of violence to stop and claimed her two children, aged nine and ten, were too afraid to live at their home in Nightingale Street, Keighley.

"I am so scared that this is going to happen again. They have sent us letters saying that if we stay here they will make sure that the house is ablaze," she said. "They will end up killing us before we get out of here; we just dare not live here any longer. I think this attack was just an effort to scare us and show they weren't joking about the threats."

During the campaign of violence, Mrs Hoyle said the house had been pelted with bricks and the family had been subject to constant verbal and physical abuse.

Both children have been attacked whilst playing outside, and they have been given drugs needles and syringes by members of the gang. Mrs Hoyle claimed ten-year-old Samantha had even been given money and ordered to buy drugs from a local dealer.

Police are still investigating Thursday night's suspected arson attack, during which Mrs Hoyle, who was alone with her children in the house at the time, suffered an epileptic fit in the street outside. The family are trying to sell their current home and have asked Bradford Council to find them a temporary home to allow them to escape the area. However, so far they have only been offered a place in a hostel.

"If they know that we have gone into a hostel, and left all our things here, then they will be straight round and everything will be destroyed," said Mrs Hoyle.

Geraldine Howley, Bradford Council's director of housing, said: "We are very concerned for the family's safety and have offered them temporary accommodation which they have refused."

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman confirmed they had received reports of youths throwing bricks at the house and an envelope containing tablets was left on the family's doorstep.

"On March 23 we received a report of four youths shouting abuse in the street. Police attended and made a search of the area but were unable to trace the youths. However we spoke to the complainant and gave her advice. The matters were looked into appropriately."

Police also renewed their appeal for witnesses to Thursday night's arson attack which occurred at about 9pm. Anyone with information should contact Keighley police on (01535 617059).