BRADFORD Council has said it will "consider" restoring street lighting to a war memorial in Queensbury after hundreds of residents complained about it being taken down.

The lights were controversially removed last month after the authority conceded its design was not "in-keeping" with the monument.

Local residents argued against the decision, with more than 350 people signing a petition for the lights to be re-installed.

The council has said it will now see whether it is possible to light the memorial, which dates back to 1922, without damaging its stature as a Grade-II listed building.

Keeley Johnson, 23, of Coniston Avenue, Queensbury, said she organised the petition as she felt the majority of people in the village saw the lights as a fitting tribute to those who died in two world wars.

"I'm really happy to see that the council has listened," she said.

"But, it is a worry to hear that a listed building may have already been damaged.

"It is not a council memorial, it is for everyone.

"We should be talking about the next step as a community, and everybody should have their say in the decision.

"The main problem was that the lights were taken down without people being asked, which turned out to be against most people's wishes."

Former Independent Councillor Lynda Cromie, who led the original campaign to have the lights installed, said workmen had been on-site yesterday to assess options on how the lighting could be restored.

"We're very pleased, and we're just going to wait and see what the outcome is now," she said.

"I understand the council are looking at putting the lights up again, due to the online petition.

"It would please a lot of people if they are re-installed, and hopefully it can be done in a way that pleases everyone."

Bob Gatenby, a former army veteran who looks after the upkeep of the site, said any new design for the lights must avoid damage to the monument.

"The council have admitted the lights were a mistake, and the bushes around the memorial were also destroyed to put the electrics in," he said.

"If they use up-lighters in the ground and do it properly, there is no need to damage the monument whatsoever.

"My main problem was not the monument being lit up, it was the holes made in a Grade-II listed structure.

"If a decision is to be made, it needs consultation and proper planning permission."

When asked whether re-installing the lighting was a viable option, a spokesman for Bradford Council said: "The council will consider if lighting the war memorial is a possibility and if so, how it can be designed to protect the Grade II-listed structure."