Campaigners claim a pair of road signs are obsolete and should have been taken down years ago because they confuse motorists on a "dangerous" stretch of road.

They say two large signs telling motorists they are about to drive on to a dual carriageway should have been removed from a section of the A658 Harrogate Road, in Eccleshill, when it apparently reverted to a single-carriageway road several years ago.

Residents believe the Dual Carriageway Ahead' signs, one near the junction of Victoria Road and one on Ravenscliffe Avenue, are "misleading" and encourage motorists to speed up.

But Bradford Council has hit back, claming the signs are technically accurate because the "central reserve" between the two opposing traffic flows means the road is still classified as a dual carriageway.

Andy Brown, the Council's principal engineer for traffic and highways north, said: "Part of Harrogate Road is a dual carriageway.

"The Dual Carriageway Ahead' sign warns drivers that it is not possible to turn right from, or on to this section of road because there is a central reserve between opposing traffic flows."

He said the Council was assessing all options available to improve safety on Harrogate Road and hoped to introduce measures during the next financial year.

"There are many areas across the district where we would like to introduce additional local safety measures but the available funds need to be prioritised to deal with the worst cases," added Mr Brown.

Clifford Kay, of Ravenscliffe Avenue, said: "It's laughable that these signs are still up after all these years of it not being a dual carriageway. I'm tempted to take them down myself because drivers see them and speed up.

"You can be driving down Harrogate Road and, even though it's one lane now and you're not supposed to go over the dotted white line, people will still overtake you."

His wife Irene said: "People have been talking about these signs for a while. It's not a big job for the Council to come and take them down."

Lollipop lady, Veronica Farr, who operates on Harrogate Road, near St Luke's CE Primary School, said: "The traffic is too fast off this roundabout. Perhaps it's because that sign is still there."

Trevor Schofield, of Parkstone Drive, Eccleshill, said: "That stretch of road used to be dual carriageway and was converted back to normal. The large sign saying Dual Carriageway Ahead' is causing more trouble than anything. It's unbelievable that they have never taken it down in five or six years."