Fireworks aimed at fire crew called to Kidderminster street bonfire

Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service said there were no casualties (generic image)

Fireworks were aimed at firefighters as they attended an incident in Worcestershire.

A crew was called to a blaze on open ground in Tennyson Way, Kidderminster, on Sunday evening and put out what was described as an unofficial bonfire.

Police were then asked to attend after the crew was targeted with fireworks, some exploding just 6m (20ft) away.

The crew was forced to retreat but there were no casualties, Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service said.

Staff from Wyre Forest fire station had been called to the scene at about 20:30 GMT before the attack began.

Group commander Simon Cusack said the crew had begun to extinguish "quite a substantial bonfire", but were forced to retreat when they came "under attack by a group of youths throwing fireworks at them and also pointing rockets at them".

'Shook up'

"The fire crew were quite surprised by this, so they got onto the fire engine and then had to leave the scene, but were not able to extinguish the fire straight away," Mr Cusack continued.

"They contacted West Mercia Police and then we had to await their arrival to then secure the scene, make it safe, to then allow our crews to continue their job of extinguishing the fire."

Mr Cusack said a number of the crew that were on duty on Sunday night had served the Kidderminster community for more than 20 years and "at no point have any of them ever experienced this".

He stated: "They were quite shook up. They're quite upset by what happened."

The group commander said all of its fire engines had CCTV and the fire service was working with police to review footage of the attack.

Police confirmed they had received a call asking for assistance and officers attended "to support our colleagues" at the fire service.