Just when you thought the July weather couldn't get any worse, snow is being forecast for Bradford city centre next week - but flakes will only be falling in Centenary Square.

About 20 tonnes of real snow is to be dropped in the square on Tuesday to encourage people to think about climate change.

A lorry will bring the snow all the way from SNO!zone, the real snow slope at Xscape, Castleford - so Bradford Council is quite confident about its weather forecast.

The Council's climate change awareness programme has the slogan "act now before it snowballs" and has a theme of conflicting seasons to reflect the changes to the world's weather.

Children from the Council's nursery, Cavell House, have been invited to play in the snow, and it will then be opened for Bradfordians to enjoy.

During the event, Council staff will be distributing climate change guides and explaining what the Council is doing to raise awareness of the issue in the Bradford district.

Councillor Anne Hawkesworth, the executive member for the environment and culture, said: "Of course no-one is expecting there to be real snow in summer, but we all need to be aware of the changes in our seasons caused by global warming.

"There has been much flooding in the Bradford district in recent years, for example, which has had disastrous effects on our communities.

"Everyone can do their bit to tackle climate change and reduce the impact of global warming, from using the car less and recycling more to switching off lights when you leave the room. It all makes a difference."

The Council has been awarded £200,000 from the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to raise awareness of climate change locally and to conduct research about people's perception of the issue and how it can be changed.

A lorry will turn up at Centenary Square first thing and the snow is expected to gradually melt throughout the day and drain away.