A leaked report on the state of race relations in Bradford describes it as a divided city in the grip of fear.

Bradford's race review reveals a "virtual apartheid" in schools and says children leave education ill-equipped for life in a multi-cultural society.

And it describes police and the city's leaders as frightened of tackling problems of segregation, racial intolerance and wrongdoing because of being dubbed racist.

But the report - to be released on Thursday -is also expected to include pioneering initiatives to build bridges and improve understanding between communities.

The independent study was carried out by Lord Herman Ouseley, former chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality, months before the weekend's devastating race riots hit the city.

Bradford Vision - formerly Bradford Congress, a partnership between the Council and other public and private organisations - had already commissioned the report in a bid to help improve relations between black, white and Asian communities.

It is expected to be a hard-hitting look at the state of race relations in the district today - and who or what is to blame for their breakdown.

The report is set to reveal a depressing scene of increasing racial intolerance, an inability to address problems and a lack of racial integration.

It pulls no punches in highlighting areas of failure in race relations in Bradford, warning that the city finds itself in thegrip of fear.

The report highlights a fear of people talking openly and honestly because of possible repercussions, recriminations and victimisation; a fear of challenging wrongdoing because of being labelled racist; and a fear of confronting the gang culture, illegal drugs trade and growing racial intolerance, harassment and abuse that exists.

It reveals a "virtual apartheid" in many secondary schools and a lack of adequate education which does not teach children about other cultures.

Schools are said to be segregated, with different ethnic groups not mixing and open racial conflict and harassment.

The review highlights crime in the district and is said to accuse police of being wary of tackling Asian criminals for fear of being seen as racist.

The report is expected to put forward radical proposals for change, calling for better leadership and improved partnerships as the way forward.

Recommendations are thought to include setting up a multi-cultural centre of learning and a record of employment promoting understanding about different cultures.

Lord Ouseley wants to see young people from all backgrounds involved in politics and positions of leadership.

He said: "Young people are the future of the district and it is vital that they are empowered."

He believes Bradford suffers from misinformed perceptions about different communities, causing gang culture and segregation. But he believes it could be a "centre of excellence" for inter-faith work.

The race review panel, set up following the collapse of Bradford's Racial Equality Council last year, involved a range of community representatives from public, private and voluntary sector organisations, the business community, and a team from Belle Vue Girls School.

The study will be officially published on Thursday but was leaked just days after hundreds of disaffected youths rioted in the city - injuring more than 100 police officers and causing millions of pounds of damage to businesses and property.

Bradford Council's director of marketing and communications Owen Williams said that despite the weekend's events it was "highly unlikely" the launch would be brought forward.

"The sheer scale of the event would make it very difficult to re-schedule," he said.

"There around 300 seats booked."