Disgraced Bradford councillor Bob Hargreaves has lost his appeal against a conviction for sexually abusing two schoolgirls.

The 62-year-old was jailed for five years earlier this year following after being found guilty of eight of the 13 charges he faced, including one of attempted rape.

After deliberating for weeks, a judge at the Court of Appeal has refused to allow the former Bolton and Undercliffe councillor to appeal.

Hargreaves had been determined to hold on to his seat on Bradford Council, only quitting at the end of March after weeks of refusing calls for his resignation.

Before he was sentenced, Council chief executive Tony Reeves wrote to Hargreaves asking for his resignation.

Hargreaves refused, saying he would appeal - circumventing Council rules which mean automatic disqualification upon being jailed for more than three months.

With their hands tied, Council bosses took the unusual step of banning Hargreaves from all Council buildings, including City Hall, sports centres, schools, swimming pools and libraries.

He was also expelled from the Liberal Democrat group after being found guilty of attempted rape, four counts of indecent assault and three counts of indecency with a child at Bradford Crown Court.

The jury was told Hargreaves molested the two girls in the back of a butcher's shop in the early 1990s and would give the girls £3 after touching them.

Hargreaves' case had prompted calls for changes in the Standards Board for England rules. The board governs councillors' conduct, but could not investigate Hargreaves because the child molestation took place before he was a councillor.

The Standards Board has now confirmed an updated code has been available for local authorities to adopt since the beginning of the month. A loophole regarding councillors' private lives is due to be closed in a bill currently going through Parliament.