A FIREFIGHTER suffered temporary blindness and tinnitus when a lit firework exploded between his feet in a Keighley attack.

The incident, in Parson Street, is among a series listed in a new report – produced by West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service – reviewing the Bonfire Night period last year.

In total, there were 21 recorded attacks on firefighters across the county between November 1 and 9 – nearly double the figure for 2015.

Twelve attacks took place in the Bradford district.

In several instances, bricks and stones were hurled at crews, forcing them to withdraw from tackling fires.

Also, crews were called out to 15 bonfires and 148 secondary fires across the district in the same period, up from 14 and 99 respectively the previous year.

Overall, the West Yorkshire brigade dealt with a total of 392 incidents – a 44 per cent increase from 2015.

Dave Walton, the county's deputy chief fire officer, said: "We will always work with West Yorkshire Police, where the evidence is available, to pursue a prosecution against those responsible for these attacks.

"We have good experience of identifying areas that have the potential to become a locality where we are exposed to such attacks.

"In these cases, we can undertake activities such as the removal of combustible waste from streets, the development of diversionary activities, or face-to-face engagement to highlight the problems it can cause in terms of the safety of the entire community.

"We are always open to developing new and innovative solutions to this problem."