Archive: Late Bradford City chairman speaks after 1985 fire tragedy

The late chairman of Bradford City Stafford Heginbotham has been at the centre of allegations that the tragedy at Valley Parade, in which 56 people died, was not an accident.

A new book by fire survivor Martin Fletcher, who lost four members of his family, says companies connected to Mr Heginbotham were involved in eight fires in West Yorkshire from the 1960s to the 1980s.

Just hours after flames engulfed the main stand on May 11, 1985, Yorkshire TV commentator John Helm spoke to Mr Heginbotham on the pitch, Clearly shocked, Mr Heginbotham spoke of his attempts to go round the ground to alert people.

He died in 1995, aged 61.