A HIGH Court judge has sparked fury among families of the Hillsborough victims by accusing them of not having “moved on” from the tragedy.

Sir Oliver Popplewell, who chaired the inquiry into the 1985 Bradford City stadium fire which killed 56 fans, criticised campaigners in a letter to the Times newspaper.

The QC also blamed fans of Liverpool FC for the Heysel Stadium disaster of 1985, before suggesting families of the 96 who died in Hillsborough were harbouring “conspiracy theories” about what happened on April 15, 1989.

In the letter published yesterday in the Murdoch-owned newspaper, Sir Oliver compares the disasters and wrote: “The citizens of Bradford behaved with quiet dignity and great courage.

“They did not harbour conspiracy theories. The did not seek endless further inquiries. They buried their dead, comforted the bereaved and succoured the injured.

“They organised a sensible compensation scheme and moved on.

“Is there, perhaps, a lesson there for the Hillsborough campaigners?”

His remarks, just two days after an historic debate in the House of Commons, where MPs forced the Government to agree to full disclosure of cabinet records relating to the disaster incensed those seeking the truth.

Sheila Coleman, of the Hillsborough Justice Campaign, accused Sir Oliver, whose 1985 inquiry made recommendations for safety at football grounds four years before the Hillsborough disaster, of propagating “the myth” about what happened that day.

She said: “Families put their faith in a judicial system to get to the bottom of what happened, and have been let down for 22 years.

“If he was to do his homework, he would see there was a cover-up and that the families have behaved with great dignity.”