A BRADFORD motorist has hit out at the “audacity” of a brazen beggar who made a seat for themself at a busy junction. 

He branded the city as “scruffy” while a councillor said tackling the issue was “complicated”.

The man said he was driving on Smiddles Lane, towards Mayo Avenue, when he saw the makeshift chair at the junction – a well-known spot for begging. 

Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

Part of a leather seat appeared to have been placed on top of a blue crate.

The man said: “It’s just getting scruffy. People are coming into Bradford and are seeing this. It’s just the audacity that he’s made himself a seat.

“It’s really intimidating for women and girls if they’re in the car by themselves and they’ve got a homeless man tapping on their window.

“It’s supposed to be an illegal offence, so why is it so common?”

He said homelessness and begging in Bradford have put him and his partner off from coming into the city.

“Some people who can’t handle their own, feel like they’ve got to give something to them and it’s like they’re being exploited,” he said.

“It’s a really serious issue and it needs to be sorted.”

Councillor Ralph Berry (Lab, Wibsey), whose ward covers the area, said the issue is something he and the police are working on.

He said: “It’s complicated. We’re looking to create a multi-agency approach, where we are helping the homeless people because if we move them from one place, they’ll just go somewhere else.

“We’re getting charities involved, such as Simon On The Streets and Bridge to support homeless people and making them aware of the support that is available to them.

“We have got to make sure that appropriate steps are being taken to help them as they are vulnerable people.”

The issue of begging in the Mayo Avenue and Smiddles Lane area has been identified by the Bradford South Neighbourhood Policing Team as a priority.

Regarding women and girls feeling intimidated, Cllr Berry said: “We want a plan in place to address the problem.

“A rehabilitation strategy needs to be implemented because if they go to police, they’ll be out again.

“It’s a city-wide problem and it’s complicated.”

The T&A approached West Yorkshire Police, which declined to comment.