An allotment holder who started collecting birds as a hobby to combat his spiralling depression has been left devastated after £5,000 of birds were killed in an Arson attack.

A pair of African grey parrots, black pheasants, quail and other birds belonging to Zafar Iqbal, 48, perished in the latest in a series of arson attacks at Cecil Avenue Allotments in Little Horton, Bradford.

The wooden shed where they were kept, which took him months and hundreds of pounds to build, has been left a charred shell.

Mr Iqbal said: “I have been really distressed and crying for the past few days because I treated the birds almost as family.

“I took up the allotment because I was quite depressed and I was on a lot of medication, but the allotment helped me.

“All the birds and their eggs that I had in that shed got burned. Everything has been destroyed.”

Firefighters and police were called to the scene after Mr Iqbal discovered the shed on fire at about 5.30pm on Monday.

It is the ninth time in two months arsonists have struck at the allotments, a spokesman for the Cecil Avenue Allotment Society said. Plot holders have also had produce stolen and fly-tippers and drug addicts have been using the site.

Jonathan Pollard, spokesman for allotment society, said: “Arson is nothing new on the site. Very few structures are left and in the past couple of decades most plot holders have given up.”

Inspector Kevin Pickles, of the City Ward Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “This is a despicable and upsetting act which has not just caused damage but killed a number of birds.”

Anyone with information should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

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