Residents Kick Up Stink Over Waste Processing Plant

By Daniel Lynch and Emma Wilkinson

Residents of Frizinghall say they are at the end of their tether because of the smell from a nearby waste processing plant.




According to people living near the plant, it's original purpose was for the processing of skip waste, but around two years ago black bin waste began to arrive at the facility on Canal Road.

Residents say when they complained of the smell to Environmental Health Agency, efforts were made to enclose the rubbish in an air-conditioned building. It was promised that this would contain the smell which was particularly putrid on warmer days.

Despite the assurances, protestors submitted a petition to Bradford City Council to block the plans for the building enclosure with homeowners saying the facility was too close to a residential area.

Phil Goode, who lives near the plant, told BCB: "You can't go out in your own garden because of the sour smell of rotting rubbish. That site stinks every day."

"The air conditioning unit doesn't seem to have had any affect at all. On warm days they have to have the doors open which makes the roof useless because the smell just gets out."

He also says the rubbish poses a health issue for residents and schools near the plant.

Business Development Director for the plant, Tim Shapcot, said the company are working to ease the problem.

"Our job as a reputable waste management company is to ensure that we are maintaining the amenity as part of our planning permission and our waste management license."

Mr. Shapcot said the roof has made a difference, contrary to what residents say, and that more is being done to control the odour.

"The roof has actually contained the smells. We do have some issues with airflow in the building and that's what we're currently working on. I'm fairly confident that in the next two weeks or so that a lot of those problems will be eradicated."

Bradford Pub Cordoned Off After Shotgun Fired

 

A Bradford pub remains cordoned off this lunchtime after an incident involving a firearm.

A masked man is believed to have fired a shotgun into the ceiling at the Peel Park pub on Otley Road, last night, before fleeing the scene in a silver car.

No one was injured but Police are appealling for anyone who was in the pub at the time,
or anyone who saw a car speeding off down Barkerend Road, to come forward.

Anyone with information should call the police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

(Photo: Emma Wilkinson)

West End Stars of the future Perform at Bradford Alhambra

by Rachel Gallacher

West Yorkshire stage and musical theatre stars of the future will be performing at Bradford Alhambra tomorrow.

Leeds based College SLP, are rehearsing for their show 'West End to Broadway' which has been choreographed by some of the biggest names in the business.

Eddy Cox a star of Chicago, Nick Winston who choreographed Loserville and Saturday Night Fever's Rosy Thompson are just some of the names involved in the creativity.

BCB reporter Daniel Lynch spoke to Head of Dance Kirsty Sparks who said that the show has something for everyone: ''We've got big Broadway musicals like Annie, commercial work, Sondheim and amazing Broadway tap numbers.''

Miss Sparks also told us how important it is for the students to get experience like this before graduating:






Some of the third year students have already secured employment for when they graduate next month, Morgan Jackson will be joining the UK tour of Stanley Donen's ''Seven Brides for Seven Brothers'' and Sam Murphy has been signed with a London Agency.

Police Search for Missing Bingley Schoolgirl

By Edward Watson



Police are appealing for information to help find a missing schoolgirl.

13-year-old Morwena Evans was last seen behind Windhill Church of England Primary School in Shipley when she left her friends on Thursday evening.

She attends Beckfoot School in Bingley.

Anyone with information should call West Yorkshire Police via 101.

World Curry Festival kicks off in Bradford

By Daniel Lynch

Bradford's City Park will be taken over for the next three days by the World Curry Festival.

Restaurants from all over Yorkshire will be exhibiting a selection of their menus while the stage will host musicians from the city,

Traditional foods from Jamaica, Kashmir, India, Pakistan and Malaysia among others will be available to sample.

St Leonard's Farm Celebrates One Millionth Visitor

by Sallie Gregson

St. Leonard's farm in Esholt is celebrating huge milestone.

The millionth visitor passed through the gates at the popular children’s farm, in the picturesque Yorkshire countryside, this month.

Farmer James Wainhouse and his wife Denise were thrilled to have reached such a huge number of guests.

Our reporter Sallie Gregson visited the attraction:

Summer Celebration Swim at Ilkley Lido

by Edward Watson

It's the longest day of the year, and around 70 revelers at Ilkley Lido just couldn't wait to celebrate.

The eager crowd arrived at around 5am to join in the fun by going for a freezing cold dip in the lido.

It's the first time a solstice swim has taken place there, and the event was topped off with bacon baps for breakfast.

John Coulton - Bradford Council's Sports Facilities Manager - who also took part in the dip said: "Lots of people do mad things for the summer solstice like dressing up as druids on the moors.

"We just wanted to do something and we're celebrating it with a swim.

"The lido's only open for 16 weeks of the year and we're marking the start of the summer season for the lido."

Campaigners Fear for Historic Bradford Pub

Story and EXCLUSIVE PICTURES by Daniel Lynch 

 

Efforts are underway to save the oldest pub in Bradford.

The Cock and Bottle on Church Bank has been closed for two years and is now the subject of a planning application which the Campaign for Real Ale claims is illegal.

CAMRA allege that developers have failed to consult conservation authorities such as English Heritage, which is a legal requirement, and say they are "astonished that the application has made it this far."

Dale Ingram, CAMRA's Pubs Protection Advisor told a planning panel: "All of the expert opinion agrees that the harm to the Cock and Bottle's heritage value is very substantial."

CAMRA have vowed to pursue the case, and have threatened to take the issue to Bradford born Secretary of State, Eric Pickles for support.

They say that since the pub was bought by current owner - Aftab Ali - two years ago they have tried to maintain a working dialogue.

Ms Ingram continued: "At least one pub-owning couple in Bradford would willingly have entered into negotiations with Mr Ali to take a lease on the premises to run it as a pub, had one been available. 

"The only reason the Cock and Bottle has been closed for 2 years is because that is when Mr Ali bought it and he has chosen not to open it or to find someone to do it for him."

Cock & Bottle owner Aftab Ali

Mr Ali refutes these claims saying he has complied with all regulations which are in place. He says that the structural features CAMRA and English Heritage are looking to preserve are still intact and he wants them to remain part of the building's new look.

 "We're going to renovate it tastfully, in line with all the regulations. Nothing has been disturbed and that was never my intention."

In addition, he says he has not broken off contact with CAMRA or council officers throughout the planning process and that should anyone approach him with a lease offer he would be open to negotiations.

"CAMRA seem to miss the point that nobody had the money or the inclination to invest in the pub. I did. I'm doing more for English heritage than they could ever have done because they haven't invested a penny in it."

Mr Ali argues that he is not only staying true to the pub's history, but that he is enhancing and repairing features which through time have become damaged.

He allowed BCB News inside the building to capture the following exclusive images:

Blast From The Past Uncovered in Keighley Car Park

When demolition workers in Keighley were getting rid of an unwanted boiler house, they weren't expecting to stumble across a World War II air raid shelter. 

The shelter was found three feet below the ground of a car park in the grounds of the old Keighley College building on North Street.

Made of brick with a reinforced concrete ceiling, it was about three feet wide and had four linked corridors in a rectangular layout.

Evidence of the tough conditions Keighley residents endured in war-time could be seen in the wooden boards on the floors which archeologists say were to keep people's feet off the cold concrete.

Bradford Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe said: "I find this discovery absolutely fascinating. The remnants of the air raid shelter are a stark reminder of the fear under which people had to live their lives during the Second World War.

"I'm pleased we're able to record the find for local history archives", she added.

 

The council say they were totally unaware of the shelter's existence as wartime construction was often carried out quickly and not properly logged.

Paul North, Bradford Council's Airedale and Manningham Masterplan Manager said: "It was one of a number of wartime shelters. Others were located under Town Hall square and under the roundabout at the bottom of Oakworth Road."

The shelter wasn't unearthed for long though - it soon disappeared back underneath the car park that was being repaired to attract developers to the site.

But it's unlikely to be unexpectedly discovered again, as it's now permanently logged in the History Environment Record.

New Bid to Catch Bradford Burglar

by Emma Wilkinson

West Yorkshire Police are stepping up the hunt for a man who stole thousands of pounds from a club on New Works Road in Bradford.

The suspect arrived at the Harold Club in Low Moor in a blue Renault Clio at about 5.30pm on 13 May before making his way into the club and stealing thousands of pounds in cash.

He then fled the scene in the same car.

Police say they have carried out numerous enquiries in the local area, but have not yet been able to bring the man to justice.

They have now released this CCTV image of a man in a black jacket, jeans and a green baseball cap in the hope that the public will be able to help track him down.

Officers ask that anyone with information contact PC Simon Woodhead at Bradford South CID on the non-emergency number 101 or to call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Bradford Cyclists Treated to a Hearty Breakfast

By Óné Chappy

Bradford cyclists have been treated to a hearty breakfast in Centenary Square. The so-called  ‘Bike breakfast’ is an annual summer event aimed at promoting cycling in and around the city.

The scheme has been designed for those who enjoy cycle commuting already, and to give a little encouragement to those who are thinking about becoming regular cyclists.

This year’s event, which took place at Centenary Square attracted around 32 cyclists.

Tom Jones from the Bradford City Council's Transport Planning Team said the bike breakfast is just one of the events they run around the city to promote cycling in Bradford.

He said, “It is just a case of putting on hot drinks, a little bit of food and pastry”

“We do at least one each summer just to say thanks for bothering and to encourage more people to cycle.”

Cyclists in the city said they are pleased to see the council doing something to promote cycling within their community.

Cyclist Martin Heminway said, “Anything to promote cycling is fantastic, the more people on bikes the better”.

The two hour long event also gave cyclists advice on how to keep safe on the roads as well as introducing them to cycle friendly routes.

The campaign is funded by Bradford Council and go:cycling adult cycle training campaign.

Bantams Fixtures Announced

by Edward Watson

Bradford City will begin their League One campaign with an away fixture at recently relegated Bristol City.

The Bantams won promotion from League Two last season after a 3-0 thrashing of Northampton Town in the play-off final at Wembley.

Their first opponent at Valley Parade will be Carlisle United, before Yorkshire rivals Sheffield United visit on August 24th.

Always a highly anticipated fixture - the Boxing Day match will see another Yorkshire club at Valley Parade in the form of Rotherham United - who were also promoted from League Two last season.

Bantams will end the season away at Tranmere Rovers with fans hoping they'll have done enough to be playing League One football or higher in 2014.

City's fans will be encouraged that the team have been backed for a mid-table finish by bookmakers, with odds to win League One - correct at the time of writing - of 20/1 with William Hill and Paddy Power and 25/1 with Sky Bet.

The full list of League fixtures for 2013/14 follows:

New Catheter Lab to Open at BRI

by Rachel Gallacher 




People living in West Yorkshire will soon have access to a new state-of-the-art facilities lab that will help ‘save lives.’

Bradford Royal Infirmary are in the process of building a new cardiac unit which is set to be among the most advanced of its kind in the country.

The new lab means that more patients will be treated in Bradford, rather than having to travel to the regional cardiac centre at Leeds General Infirmary.

The project, which has cost around £2.3 million was invested by the Foundation Trust. Chief Executive Bryan Miller says they are ‘delighted that they are able to do this to help modernise, replace and develop the cardiac unit on Ward 22.’

Generous charitable donations were also given to the cardiac unit. Managing Director of PEC Building, Sohan Panesar handed over a cheque to the cardiac unit for £62,000. This was raised by a years program of events such as sky diving, climbing the three peaks and swimming with sharks.

He said: "Sky diving had the most adrenalin rush about it and the support from everyone has been absolutely brilliant."

He helped raise the money in memory of his Grandad and says that "It will mean a lot to see the money put to good use."

Bradford Teaching Hospitals is in the process of finalising plans for the new lab which will open in Spring 2014.

Police Probe Two Deaths in Bradford

Investigations are underway after two women aged 38 and 51 were found dead at separate addresses in the Lower Grange area on Sunday afternoon. 

Detectives say the women knew each other but were not related and it is not yet known whether the deaths are linked.

Airedale and North Bradford Police are still trying to establish how the two women died but post-mortems have taken place and toxicology tests are being carried out.

Two local men aged 31 and 45 have been arrested, questioned and released on bail.

The two residences have been extensively searched by officers who have also spent time reassuring members of the community.

Police want anyone with information to contact them om 101 or to call Crimestoppers on: 0800 555 111.

New Hopes Media Museum Will Survive

by Emma Wilkinson

The future of the National Media Museum looks brighter today after Culture Minister Ed Vaizey assured Bradford MPs that he does not want to let the museum close.

The meeting took place at Westminster last night to discuss the question of whether one of three northern museums belonging to the Science Museum Group would face closure because of shortages in funding.

Bosses from the Science Museum Group said the prospect of a further a 10% cut in government backing would mean either the Railway Museum in York, the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) in Manchester or the National Media Museum in Bradford would have to close.

Nearly forty thousand people, including celebrities like Oscar-winner John Hurt and Bradford local Gareth Gates, got behind a campaign to save the National Media Museum.

But Liberal Democrat MP for Bradford East, David Ward, had said that the threat of closure was completely blown out of proportion and that it was a bargaining ploy to get more money out of the government.

But Gerry Sutcliffe, Labour MP for Bradford South has been behind the campaign from the beginning and was at the Westminster meeting last night.

He told BCB: “The good news is that because of the public support that we’ve had as MPs and the national support that we’ve been getting, the government would see it as a big political problem to close the museum.”

Listen to the full interview with BCB’s Ônè Chappy here:

West Yorkshire Derby for Bantams in Capital One Cup

Bradford City players Nathan Doyle and Garry Thompson celebrate with the League Two play off trophy in Centenary Square

by Edward Watson

Bradford City will face an away tie at local rivals Huddersfield Town in the first round of the Capital One Cup.

The Bantams were the highlight of last season's competition reaching the final - becoming the first fourth tier side to reach a major final at Wembley.

They beat three Premier League sides along the way - Wigan Athletic, Arsenal and Aston Villa.

The prospect of a derby in City's second game of the season will bring some added excitement to the start of the 2013/14 campaign as they prepare for League One after winning promotion last season.

The two sides last met in 2011 in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy with Bradford winning 4-3 on penalties after a 2-2 draw.

The tie is due to take place on August 6th or 7th, just a few days after City's opening match which is due to be announced this week.

This was the reaction of fans in Bradford:

Bradford City Women's FC Celebrate Promotion.

by Rachel Gallacher

Bradford City Women's Football Club are planning celebrations having been invited to join the Premier League Northern Division by the FA.

The Bantams had a brief appearance in this league back in 1997 but were relegated after just two seasons.

Manager Steve Winterburn said: "The players are delighted and I'm delighted for them. They deserve it because they've had a great season."

Team Captain Bridie Hannon has high hopes for next season and is thrilled with the news:

Man Arrested After Supermarket Standoff

By Óné Chappy

A man's been arrested at a West Yorkshire supermarket following a knife incident, police have confirmed.

Officers called to the Sainsbury's supermarket on Harehills Lane in Leeds arrested a 32 year old on suspicion of affray following reports of a man demonstrating threatening behaviour with knives in the street.

The man arrested, thought to come from the local area was contained inside the supermarket where Police negotiated with him. A member of the public suffered a small cut to his finger during the incident. 

The West Yorkshire Police helicopter was called to the scene, along with fire crews before the five hour long standoff was resolved.

Call for Action at Blaze-Hit Bradford Pub

by Emma Wilkinson

Allerton residents are calling for tougher action to be taken after fire fighters had to put out another blaze at The Old Kings Head pub last night.

The Grade II listed pub, on Cote Lane on the outskirts of the village, has been derelict for over five years and has gained a reputation as an anti-social hotspot.

The fire service have been called to the building a number of times over the past few months and residents allege that break-ins and thefts at the pub are commonplace.  

Pensioner Anne Dickens, who has lived next door to the pub for the past three years, claims youths hanging around the pub have stolen from her and threatened her when she said she would report them.

She said: “I worry about these fires when I’m at work because I’m so close to the pub and sparks can fly. At least when I’m here, I know I can get out.”

A sign on the front of the pub, displayed on behalf of B2 Property Group says ‘Coming soon – exclusive development of new homes’.

But Ms Dickens said: “There have been plans to develop that pub ever since I moved in and there have been no signs of change. I just hope they do something soon because that will stop all the problems we have.”

Bradford Festival's City Park First

By Edward Watson

A 200-strong choir will be the highlight of Bradford Festival's main event opening night on Friday evening.

Just a week after the Bollywood Carmen, City Park will play host to another large scale event this weekend.

The festival is making a return after a six year absence. It is being hosted for the first time in City Park as well as various other venues scattered across the city.

It will see a vast array of music, dance, theatre and food over the three days culminating with 'Mela Day' on Sunday - incorporating the former Bradford Mela which was cancelled due to bad weather last year.

Friday night's highlight will come from the Bradford Festival Choral Society - a 200-strong choir including a mixture of people from Bradford alongside some star solo singers.

They'll be joined by a professional orchestra - The Skipton Building Society Camerata.

Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe helped to organise the event and will also perform as part of the choir.

She said: "It's the first year in some time we've had the festival and I hope it will celebrate everything that's good about Bradford.

"The festival is great boost economically as well bringing people to the city centre.

"I've been a part of policy making for the event but I also wanted to be a part of it myself."



Maggie Eisner is due to perform with the Bradford Festival Choral Society.