Over 30 arrests were made at the weekend as police cracked down on firework-throwing thugs who have brought terror to the streets of Keighley.

Around 60 extra officers were drafted in every night in the biggest operation of its kind ever seen in the town.

The four-day initiative, which began last Friday, was part of a force-wide campaign to flush out firework fiends.

Known problem hotspots in Keighley were targeted, and officers responded to dozens of calls from the public.

Incidents ranged from young children throwing fireworks, to attacks on premises by adults. The ages of offenders were between ten and late 20s.

In total 35 people were arrested over the four nights. Charges, including causing criminal damage, and related to public order and drugs, were brought.

Also four shopkeepers have been reported for allegedly selling fireworks to people under 18. A file is being sent to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Keighley-based police operations Inspector Chris Moorehouse, who organised the initiative, said he was pleased with the result.

He said: "The community should not have to suffer at the hands of hooligans with fireworks.

"We wanted to guard against problems throughout the Bonfire Night period so brought in substantially more resources, including some officers from outside the Keighley division.

"We moved to take preventative actions at known trouble spots but also responded to a lot of calls from members of the public.

"Problems ranged from fireworks being thrown, to them being put through letterboxes and into commercial premises. The scale of the potential danger is made worse by the size of some of these fireworks, which can be two-and-a-half feet high, but fortunately there were no injuries and no serious damage to property.

"In some cases when we stopped and searched people suspected of being involved in offences we also found drugs. All those charged have been remanded on police bail and will appear in court at a later date.

"We have had extra staff on duty in the past at this time of year but we have never staged an operation on this scale. It seemed to pay off. We dealt with things very swiftly and managed to nip many potential problems in the bud."

l Keighley police are working in partnership with health professionals and schools, and Trading Standards officers, to issue Validate Proof of age cards to youngsters, aged 16 to 18, as part of the efforts to halt shops selling items to underage customers.

Retailers in the area have been visited and encouraged to foster the No Card -- No Sale culture and refuse sales to those youngsters who cannot produce a valid card.

l A Labour councillor is lobbying the Government to tighten up the sale of fireworks after recent frightening events in parts of Keighley. Councillor Barry Thorne (Keighley West) is calling on the Government to introduce special licences for shop owners who sell fireworks.

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