Tourism bosses hope to attract thousands of visitors with motorway signs advertising the district's attractions.

The National Museum of Photography, Film and Television, Salts Mill, Bradford Theatres and the Bronte country will all feature on the brown signs being put up on the M621, M62 and M606 motorways next week.

The Council and tourism chiefs say they had to push hard for the signs with the Highways Agency, which uses traffic flow guidelines to determine bids for them.

The signs are part of a £116,000 scheme to draw in visitors and later in the year 'finger post' signs will go up on roads around the city centre. Funding has been split between the Council, the NMPFT, Salts Estate and Europe.

Councillor Barry Thorne, the Council's executive committee member for culture, heritage and leisure, said: "These signs will be a big boost to Bradford. Now ten million visitors a year enjoy the district's many attractions. I hope to see new signs saying 'Bradford European Capital of Culture' in the years to come."

Amanda Nevill, head of the NMPFT, said: "I am delighted to see this joint venture come to fruition. It has been a long, hard road.

"The popularity of the museum is growing all the time and better road directions can only improve our visitor numbers and provide a boost for the local economy."

Robin Silver, managing director of Salts Estate, said: "These motorway signs will help visitors find their way more easily to Salts Mill, the Hockney Galleries and our tenants.''

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