Car thieves and the run-down part of historic Little Germany are deterring people from going to the theatre, it was claimed today.

Now the Priestley Centre for the Arts' management, determined to increase audiences and income, is employing a security officer to patrol the streets in the vicinity of the Chapel Street theatre when plays are on.

"We are employing him to keep Little Germany safe and secure from oiks who think they have the right to break into people's cars and spoil people's evenings - the area has a lot of that," said Christian Hohenzollern, recently taken on by the Priestley to market the theatre. "A lot of the problems we face come down to the state of Eastbrook Hall. It is derelict; it is ugly; it brings the whole area down.

"It has become an eyesore and a very dangerous eyesore. Glass and masonry fall off it regularly.

"Either restore it or flatten it. If they'd flatten it we could have wonderful car-parking in Little Germany."

Eastbrook Hall, built in 1904, was badly damaged by fire in February, 1996. The former Methodist hall, owned by London-based Aldersgate Estates, was put on the market in July, 2000. There has been much talk but no takers.

Nigel Rice, Bradford Council's Little Germany co-ordinator told the T&A: "We have a proposal from a developer to turn it into offices. But if nothing has happened within the next couple of months the Little Germany Urban Village Company (a public-private sector partnership) will apply for a compulsory purchase order."

Mr Hohenzollern said car crime in Chapel Street was becoming a major problem.

"We have constantly complained about the lack of lighting to the urban regeneration people at Bradford Council," he said.

"Now we have this wonderful grant that's going to put in lighting and closed circuit TV cameras; but until that has happened we are going to employ a security man, from next month, during play weeks," he said.

The CCTV and lighting is set to be financed out of a £28m Single Regeneration Bid grant to the Barkerend, Leeds Road area, which includes Little Germany with its 55 listed buildings.

Although the bulk of that money will be spent elsewhere, Mr Rice said Little Germany's street lights had already been made brighter and additional lighting was going up on four tall buildings in the vicinity of the Priestley Centre: 14 Chapel Street, the Arts Resource Centre and Hanover and Tayson Houses.

"And we have just heard that we have got £180,000 for nine high quality colour security cameras and the equipment for monitoring the information," Mr Rice added.

He said he hoped work on installing the cameras in Little Germany would start early in the New Year.