Vandals have struck a pioneering centre in deprived Manningham - just days before it is due to open.

The Manningham One Stop Shop at the junction of Lumb Lane and Carlisle Road is the first of its type in Bradford and one of only a few in Britain.

But the Council has been forced to bring in contractors who sandblasted the building to cover oil thrown onto the exterior walls.

The centre has been set up as a direct result of a review by the high-powered Bradford Commission into the Manningham riots in 1995.

Residents - and particularly young people - told the Commission they felt depressed, isolated and excluded and there were no facilities.

The centre will deal with Council services including house repairs, rents and street lighting. But it will be expanded to other vital areas like jobs and mean people will no longer have to trail from office to office to get what they need.

It is still expected to open as planned on Monday.

The Council is working in a partnership which includes Employment Services, Bradford Health and the Benefits Agency on the project.

Today Councillor Ralph Berry, the Council's executive committee member for building communities said: "I think this damage is heartbreaking to the people in the centre who are committed to better services and want to reach out into the community.

"It is very disappointing. These are people who really want to do a job of work."

The centre hit controversy last July when officers announced it would cost £199,000, instead of the £70,000 originally estimated.

Tory councillors said it had been "sold dishonestly" when it had been approved initially. But officers said the size of the project had grown and additional mechanical and electrical work was needed to comply with health and safety regulations

Staff in the one-stop centre will use innovative high-tech links to get information from other centres and deal with issues quickly.

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