A councillor has called on Bradford Council to reject an expert's report into the state of the sewage system in the Keighley area.

Councillor Sam Micklem has claimed the report does not properly address people's fears that the system could collapse.

City Hall commissioned a report after campaigners claimed more house building, especially in Silsden, would overload the system and cause more flooding.

Drainage engineer Chris Wotherspoon said that Silsden, where there are plans for 1,500 new homes, would struggle to cope with further development.

But he foresaw no significant problems with the high-level sewer which served the Worth Valley.

Councillor Micklem (Lib/Dem, Baildon) said the report identified 785 metres of the sewers in the area which had collapsed and another five miles of system, in upper Airedale, which was likely to collapse.

"It seems to me that the report does not address the concerns of people in upper Airedale who are worried that the sewerage system is close to collapse.

"It does not answer the questions put by people who have seen flooding by foul water. Nothing seems to be suggested about how this should be tackled," he said.

He rejects the report as a basis for future development in upper Airedale because it failed to consider the impact of development in future years.

Councillor Phil Thornton, deputy executive member for transport and planning, said Council officials would carry out a full and detailed evaluation of the report which would be considered by members along with the report by the independent engineer.

"We will have an opportunity to look at both reports and make conclusions at that time," he said.

It was Yorkshire Water's responsibility to make sure the system was in good order and the Council would not approve development if the professional advice was to the contrary.

"But if there is adequate surplus in the system then the recommendation will be for approval, but that decision will be made by Councillors, not officers, independent experts or Yorkshire Water."

A spokesman for Yorkshire Water said: "We are still considering the contents of the report and we have to give a response to Bradford Council by March 17."

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