A woman told today how she was nearly blinded after thugs posted a lighted firework through her letterbox.

Angela Hussey was settling down to watch television when she heard a rattle at her front door in Boltby Lane, Buttershaw.

As she got up from the sofa to investigate, the firework exploded and the letterbox's internal metal flap flew across the room and hit her between the eyes.

"I didn't know what had happened. I got straight on the phone to my friend. All I knew was that my face was covered in blood and that something had hit me," she said.

"It knocked me flying and the day after my neck and back were hurting like mad. I'm OK now but still a bit shaken and can't believe it happened."

Mrs Hussey, 35, has been left with two black eyes and a cut to her nose that needed three stitches, following the attack last Monday at 6pm.

"The hospital said I was very lucky, if it had gone a bit further over it could've taken my eye out," she said.

"To whoever did it this was just a joke to scare me, but it blew my letterbox up and caused serious damage, and I'm quite lucky that I wasn't hurt more than I was - and that was bad enough."

Police are investigating the incident.

The attack comes just days after firework safety campaigner and neighbourhood watch co-ordinator Elizabeth Hellmich, of Heaton, spoke of the dangers of fireworks.

"A couple of days ago I saw a young lad walking with a handful of fireworks in the Whetley area. He shouldn't even have had them," she said.

"The general use of fireworks became a lot worse when people realised there was no actual law against selling the products all year round, it was just a gentleman's agreement."

Last year there were 17 firework-related injuries in Bradford - almost half of the 38 reported in West Yorkshire.