An explosion at a Bradford tyre yard, believed to have been started by children, has brought calls for its closure by neighbours.

One side of Manchester Road was closed for two hours on Sunday night after a fire exploded two gas bottles, throwing burning waste tyres into the dual carriageway.

Firefighters battled for three hours to control the blaze which damaged a nearby furniture warehouse. A middle-aged woman was taken to Bradford Royal Infirmary suffering from shock after the tyres rained down around her.

Today residents of nearby homes and the owner of Punjab Carpets and Furniture, Muhammad Tariq, called for Aire Valley Tyres to be cleared out. But company owner Stephen Liddle said the yard regularly suffered vandalism and met council regulations.

Ellen Ambler, 31, who lives next-door to the yard in Cotewall Road, West Bowling, said: "It was like two bombs going off. I looked out of the window and the flames were about 40ft high.

"There was thick, black smoke billowing out of the yard and the warehouse had caught fire. Every time the firemen got the tyres under control they flared back up again.

"They stack the tyres up against my fence and they often fall into my garden. It's dangerous for us living here."

Bradford Fire Station sub-officer Andy Newman said firefighters formed a human chain to remove hundreds of charred tyres after they had been doused down.

He said: "We were lucky the fire was at the front of the yard. It could have easily got into the warehouse next door which would have caused a massive fire. There were thousands of tyres in there and we did well to contain it."

Sub-officer Newman believed the fire was deliberate.

Coun Latif Darr (Lab, Little Horton), said the business, which is only yards from Newby First School and a Jehovah's Witnesses' Kingdom Hall, should be fully investigated.

"Leaving gas bottles beside tyres is asking for trouble,'' he said.

Mr Liddle said: "We have a problem with people breaking into the yard and we don't leave vehicles in there for that reason. The gas bottles were there when we took the yard over and they shouldn't have been there.

"We are going to have to do something to improve security, such as installing cameras.''

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