A Bradford man who falsely claimed he was an architect has been fined £2,000 by magistrates.

Mohammed Farooq Hussain, of Steadman Street, off Leeds Road, was found guilty in his absence of breaching the Architects Act by Bradford JPs, who also ordered him to pay £1,629 costs.

Hussain breached the Act by describing himself as an architect when he had no legal right to do so because he was not registered.

The case was brought by the UK regulator, the Architects Registration Board, which said the level of fine reflected the serious view the magistrates took of the breach.

A spokesman said: "We are delighted with the outcome of the case. The work we are doing with the telephone directories to eliminate architect mislistings has helped to raise awareness of title regulation, and we are vigorously pursuing individuals who deliberately mislead members of the public into believing that they are something they are not.

"In this case, as in the last prosecution we brought, magistrates have imposed severe fines. This should serve as a salutary warning to others who might be tempted to follow Mr Hussain's example and hold themselves out to be an architect when they are not."