A fire crew answering an emergency call to a York estate was forced to pull out after a gang of louts ambushed its engine.

Police had to rescue the night crew from red watch at Acomb fire station when youths screaming abuse pelted its vehicle with full beer cans and shone laser pens into the eyes of firefighters.

The crew had been called to a bin fire outside a pizza shop in Chapelfields Road when the attack took place.

Now the fire service says crews may need to go in pairs or take police support on all calls to the Chapelfields area if thugs do not stop their potentially life-threatening harassment.

The warning comes just ten days after First York withdrew a late-night bus service from Chapelfields for the second time because thugs stoned a bus and tried to storm on board.

According to Terry Glover, a spokesman for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, if incidents continue in this area of York, measures will have to be taken to ensure the safety of the crews.

He said: "We will be keeping a close eye on fire calls in Chapelfields. If attacks on the crew become a trend we will call for back-up. We don't want to antagonise a potential situation of civil unrest, but we may have to send a police officer or two pumps to a routine one pump fire call.

"This kind of action will put lives at risk, because pumps are tied up unnecessarily. But we will not put our firefighters at risk."

Sergeant Colin Ventress, of York Police, said today: "The fire brigade had to withdraw from the scene because of the amount of abuse they were receiving."

Police said eight people were arrested in connection with the incident and two were later charged with public order offences.

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