Bradford has today received a cash boost of more than half a million pounds towards its expanding life-saving kidney services.

The money is being poured into the renal unit at St Luke's Hospital - which has been topped up by a further £250,000 from within the Bradford Hospitals NHS Trust.

It will pay for seven new dialysis machines and help create a larger centre. A further £1 million a year has been pledged by the Government to keep services running.

Dr Robin Jeffrey, consultant in renal medicine at St Luke's, said the funding was much-needed because of the high rate of kidney disease in Bradford.

"This is fantastic news as it means we can treat another 42 patients with kidney failure and expand into another ward," he said.

"There is a higher incidence within the Asian community. It can be linked with diabetes which can cause the kidneys to fail.

"There is also the issue of donating organs as there is a lot of cultural sensitivity around this within the Asian community.

"This means we have trouble getting patients off dialysis and into transplantation."

The hospital has 114 patients who visit the unit three times a week for dialysis. Each session lasts around four hours and a machine is used by three people a day.

"It's an expensive service as it costs £25,000 to keep one person on dialysis for a year," said Dr Jeffrey.

He added the number of people with kidney failure in the district was expected to almost double by 2010.

"That would also mean doubling the dialysis service we have," he said.

The unit, which took on its third consultant earlier this year to cope with the rising demand, also has 14 hospital-based dialysis machines, five satellite ones, and a further six in Skipton.

Staff treat patients from as far afield as East Lancashire and North Yorkshire.

Health minister Jaqui Smith announced the investment today as part of a £9 million package for kidney services throughout the country.

"Our kidneys are among the most likely organs to fail as we get older," she said.

"The £551,000 funding will help us expand services at St Luke's Hospital by creating seven more dialysis machines and is a major step towards meeting the national target ...an extra 450 dialysis machines in England by 2004."