FIREFIGHTERS were forced to leave an incident on Bonfire Night after they had stones thrown at them.

On 5.58pm on Sunday South Wales Fire and Rescue Service received reports of an out of control bonfire on Fernhill Terrace, Phillipstown.

A crew from Aberbargoed attended the scene but were forced to leave after stones were thrown at firefighters.

Matthew Jones, head of the Fire Crime Unit at South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Our job is to save lives and protect property, but when we’re responding to emergency calls the last thing our firefighters expect is to be assaulted.

“Firefighters put their lives on the line to keep communities safe and to be treated with such a lack of respect sometimes is, quite frankly, appalling.”

“We have a zero tolerance approach to these attacks and people behind them are committing a serious crime. Those responsible will be reported, caught and dealt with accordingly by our police colleagues.”

Gwent Police have confirmed that inquiries are ongoing.

A spokeswoman for Gwent Police said: “If anyone has any information or may have witnessed the incident, call 101 quoting log 391 5/11/17 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”