POST-Bonfire Night figures have revealed that the region's firefighters attended fewer incidents than in previous years.

But in the run up to November 5 there were several cases of West Yorkshire fire crews coming under attack, from youths armed mostly with fireworks.

The brigade says that on Bonfire Night itself, the number of callouts was down compared to previous years and there were less than five recorded attacks – fewer than had been anticipated. No one was injured in the incidents.

West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service says various preventative steps were taken ahead of the bonfire period.

Work was carried out over several months with partner agencies to draw up measures, and a campaign was launched encouraging people to enjoy Bonfire Night safely.

Deputy chief fire officer, Dave Walton, says: "Bonfire Night is a massive issue which takes a lot of resources.

"But this is not just about what happens on one night of the year – we have been talking about Bonfire Night and planning for it since before the summer. As a fire service we work half the year on it, taking a multi-agency approach.

"A lot of what we do is about working with partners including the police, local authorities, youth workers and schools. We work together on prevention activity, as we know this works. We also have our fire protection team looking at the licensing of fireworks and working with businesses.

"This year, despite some high-profile incidents, we had a quieter Bonfire Night than we have seen in previous years. Whilst we attended more incidents that weekend than we would have done on a normal Saturday night, it was well below the numbers we have attended previously at this time of year.

"We believe this result can be corelated back to the targeted joint prevention work we do across the year, so we will continue to do this."

Incidents in the weeks running up to Bonfire Night included an attack on fire and police vehicles in the Bradford Moor area. Four youths were subsequently arrested and have been bailed whilst enquiries continue.

There were also some arrests following disturbances in Leeds and Halifax.

Mr Walton adds: "Sadly, some of the activity seen over that weekend nationally was also witnessed here in West Yorkshire.

"It is not acceptable for any emergency service worker to come under attack as they work to save lives and prevent danger."