Saltaire could be signposted as far away as the M1 as tourism bosses seek to promote its new status as a World Heritage Site.

The team behind the campaign for Saltaire's new title wants to tempt visitors from outside the Bradford district by advertising the historic model mill village on the motorway network.

Salts Mill is already signposted on brown tourist road signs around Bradford and these are set to be upgraded to recognise the village's new heritage status.

Saltaire was elevated to the same cultural footing as the Taj Mahal and Egyptian pyramids when it was made a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) last month.

Councillor Anne Hawkesworth, Bradford Council's executive member for the environment, which covers tourism and heritage, said the title had put Saltaire on the world map and now it needed to be advertised to potential visitors.

She said: "We need to improve the signing and have got to get the message across to people when they hit Yorkshire on the M1 so they say 'yes, we must go and visit Saltaire'. I've asked for this to be taken up with the Highways Agency."

Coun Hawkesworth also called for existing signs to be upgraded to include references to Saltaire's international heritage accolade.

Anne Heald, from the Saltaire Tourist Information and Gift Shop on Victoria Road and secretary of Saltaire Traders Association, said: "Improving the signs would be an excellent idea.

"Bradford bidding to become a European Capital of Culture in 2008 is fantastic. But whether it gets it or not, Saltaire has actually got World Heritage Site status now so we need to be shouting about that from the rooftops.

"Putting the World Heritage Site logo on the signs will make people realise they are approaching something that's really special.

"If people are coming up the M1 to Yorkshire or travelling up to the Dales it's imperative all the stops are pulled out to make sure they know about Saltaire.''

A Council spokesman said Saltaire's status would be incorporated into signing once UNESCO had completed an on-going review of its international logos.