A top-level meeting is being demanded in a bid to resolve once and for all Keighley's traffic turmoil.

The call has been made by a councillor, who warns that the town "will die a death" if action is not taken.

Irene Ellison-Wood said she had received a deluge of complaints from the public about Keighley's traffic-choked town centre.

And she added that as a regular bus user, she had experienced at first-hand the peak-time highway havoc.

Now Councillor Ellison-Wood - who represents Keighley West ward on Bradford Council - says transport chiefs, bus company bosses and other interested parties must get together to find a solution.

She said: "This is a problem that affects everyone, not just motorists.

"Buses are running late because the drivers are facing massive difficulty getting across town, elderly people who rely on public transport face having to stand for long periods waiting at stops, and shops will suffer when people who cannot get into the town go elsewhere.

"I can speak from personal experience for those like myself on the Braithwaite estate who depend on buses to get around, but I am sure I speak for the whole of Keighley.

"Surely it is not beyond the realms of possibility for a cross-party representation of councillors, bus company management and Council highways officers to sort out some solutions.

"The situation has got so bad that at peak times traffic simply comes to a standstill. The people of Keighley deserve better than this."

Her call for action is supported by Graham Mitchell, communications manager with Keighley & District Travel, who agreed the situation is deteriorating. But he said meetings are held on a regular basis and believed an in-depth traffic survey is needed. He said: "It's fine having meetings, but unless there are actions resulting from these nothing on the ground changes."

A spokesman for Bradford Council's transportation and planning department said it was aware of people's concerns about the traffic situation in Keighley, and had spoken to the town council about the issues.

He added: "A major scheme was drawn up in the early 1990s after a great deal of consultation and research, but this was rejected and no formal decisions have been made to take matters forward to date.''