BRADFORD Council has threatened to take Hull University to court after stencils advertising its clearing service appeared on city centre buildings this morning.

A Council spokesperson said the spray painting showed "disrespect for our public spaces which we take pride in keeping free of graffiti and fly-posting".

At least a dozen signs were sprayed onto buildings, including one listed building, illegally according to the Council.

And several banners on frames were put up near the Jacob's Well roundabout.

A city centre worker told the T&A he thought it was "outrageous behaviour".

In a statement Hull University said the stencils would be removed by tonight at its own expense.

A spokesperson for Bradford Council said: “We have spoken to the people who carried this out and explained that spraying graffiti on buildings, including a listed building, and placing banners in the city centre is illegal.

“Cleaning the graffiti off has tied up limited Council resources which would be much better employed in other areas, and this behaviour shows disrespect for our public spaces which we take pride in keeping free of graffiti and fly-posting.

“Depending on how the University responds we will either take those responsible to court or issue a fine of £75 for each sign, plus the cost of cleaning up.

“Bradford is the youngest city in the UK which is why it is seen as an attractive recruiting area for other universities and colleges, but this is definitely not the way to go about it.”

Shahid Hussain said he saw the signs on his way into work this morning.

He said: "I rang Hull university at about 8.50 after I saw the adverts on the railings and on the islands at bottom of Little Horton Lane.

"The lady from Hull said she would get them removed.

"I told her I don't think they has permission.

"People have to pay to sponsor those islands to Bradford parks.

"Then when I walked through town I saw they had sprayed the walls.

"This is outrageous behaviour from Hull University towards our city and our architecture.

"They should be made to pay to remove the graffiti.

"It has not shown Hull University in a good light at all.

"I don't appreciate them coming to Bradford and vandalising our town centre.

"They're cluttering up the city.

"They have probably done it to other towns and cities."

The banners on frames near Jacob's Well and Little Horton Lane appeared to have been taken down by lunchtime but the stencil signs were still very much in evidence around the city centre.

The Council's street cleaning service is currently facing cuts.

Under budget proposals for 2019/20 that were first announced last year, Bradford Council had planned to cut funding to the service by £500,000, with 20 front line staff lost.

Hull University said in a statement: "Like many other universities, the University of Hull undertakes a recruitment campaign on A-level results day to provide opportunities and support for those who find themselves without a university place today. We already have many students from the Bradford area who choose to study here.

"We are aware that a number of people have expressed concerns about signs placed in certain locations in Bradford.

"We take these concerns seriously and have been working with Bradford Metropolitan District Council today to understand and address these specific concerns as a priority.

"The University of Hull has carried out marketing activities in various cities, of which stencilling is one. Plans were in place to remove all signage by the end of today at our expense. We are working with City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council and will of course comply with any specific instructions."