CHILDREN as young as seven years old could be responsible for a series of arson attacks in Menston, it has been revealed.

The youngsters from Menston's Meadow Lea Home, which recently faced the problem of children running away, have been accused of setting fire to people's fences.

Now officers from Bradford Council's social services department have admitted there is a problem at the home with some children having a fixation with fire.

Richard Bates, divisional manager of Bradford Social Services told villagers at a packed community forum meeting: "We have got one or two young people who have got a current fascination with matches.

"We have brought the police and fire station in to do a very good programme of work with young people who seem to have some difficulty in getting away from fire and matches and that is ongoing with the two young people who are at the centre of that.

"I am very concerned about it. Children do sometimes get fixated by matches but it does not normally go on so long."

David Calverley, chairman of Menston Community Association, suggested at its meeting that youngsters from the trouble-hit home, in Hawksworth Drive, be held to account for the fires - and help rebuild the damage they have done.

He said: "There are very young children at this home who have been about the place with boxes of matches. I think they could be employed in putting right some of the damage."

Mr Calverley told the Wharfedale Observer after the meeting: "Whilst I was away there was a fire in the paddock next to my fence and it was burned. It was such an irresponsible place and such an irresponsible fire that it had to be somebody without any sense of responsibility, although there is no way of establishing who it was."

"If they would come and I could say this is the damage that your lads might have done it might have some therapeutic effect. The motivation behind this is the rehabilitation of the boys."

A Social Services spokeswoman for Bradford Council said: "We sympathise with the concerns raised by residents living near the home and would like to thank them for the welcome they have given to children and staff.

"The children concerned in these incidents are still relatively young (aged seven to 11). Staff, along with the fire service, intend to make sure that they are fully aware of the dangers they pose to others and to themselves by playing with matches in this way.

"Although we fully support the idea that young people should be made aware of the financial and other costs of their actions and, wherever possible, make amends, this will of course depend on their individual circumstances and abilities.

"For example some of the children involved might be too young to safely handle tools and carry out physical tasks.

"We had an open day last year before Meadow Lea was officially opened and we will be holding another in the next three months."

l Social Services in Bradford launched an inquiry last month after five seven to 11-year-old boys went missing from the home. They vanished when one activated a fire alarm which automatically unlocked all the doors.

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