YOUTHS have attacked Keighley firefighters for the second in a night in a row forcing the station to shut.

Bricks and eggs were hurled in the station's back yard at about 8pm last night as crews tried to refill an engine, said watch commander Steve Moorhouse.

"Half a brick just missed one of our men. We had to get everyone and all the vehicles inside. We can't understand why they would do this. It's nonsensical."

The attack came during a second night of violence in central Keighley as youths threw missiles, started fires in the street and smashed the windscreen of the Haworth fire engine.

The attack at Keighley station, which happened in the pitch black, meant crews had to rendezvous with police at the police station in Royd Ings Avenue in the town and be escorted out to other jobs in the night for their own safety.

"If we come under attack we will pull out of a job until we get police back up. This loutish behaviour put lives at risk.

“There were about half a dozen youths chucking missiles into our yard, we couldn't see them it was probably the peak of their night but it caused a massive need of resources. We had to leave the pump we'd been trying to fill up not as full with water as it should have been."

Meanwhile a crew from Haworth had a brick thrown through the screen of its engine while out on a call in the Belgrave Road area of Highfield, but luckily no one was hurt.

This Keighley crew were called to a fire in an empty house in Parson Street, Lawkholme, which gutted the ground floor kitchen at around 9.15pm.

The Keighley crew were called out eight times last night, mostly for rubbish fires started deliberately.

Keighley police reported that youths were throwing fireworks in Edensor Road, Keighley.

Fire chiefs had already condemned the reckless actions of youths who directed fireworks at firefighters in Keighley on Wednesday night.

It had happened while firefighters were at a bonfire just after 7pm in the Devonshire Park area, the engine had been parked in nearby Ivy Street.

At about 7.20pm the police were called because of youths firing fireworks at crews, laser pens were also shone at them.

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Dave Walton said: “We completely condemn these reckless and irresponsible actions. We do have cameras on all our fire engines and will work alongside police to hold those responsible to account."