Retailers are calling for beggars and litter to be removed from the city's streets.

They are telling Bradford Council that street cleaning is not acceptable and the beggars intimidate the public, putting them off revisiting the city centre.

Chairman of Bradford Retail Action Group Jeff Frankel said: "We want action to remove vagrants because it's a very bad image. The effect could possibly put people off in the area where they congregate.

"The litter situation has improved recently but there is still a lot to be done."

Traders also want the city's obsolete CCTV cameras replacing as a priority to bring back public safety and confidence.

The call follows an outcry after daily paper columnist Lynda Lee-Potter described Bradford as a "vile" litter-strewn place.

The businesses say it is also essential that the proposed pioneering Asian shopping complex - expected to draw shoppers from the entire North of England - should be sited in the city centre.

The call for wide-ranging measures to revitalise the city centre comes in the response from Bradford Retail Action to the district's Community Plan.

Bradford Council was one of the first authorities in Britain to bring in a plan after consulting thousands of people more than two years ago.

The shopkeepers are also calling for Council funding to improve roads around developments such as the planned new Rawson Market and proposed major shopping mall in Broadway. And they stress more parking places should be provided to enable them to compete with out-of-town and other shopping centres in the region.

Mr Frankel said they hoped all the schemes, including Vicar Lane, Broadway and Odsal Stadium, would come to fruition.

"We understand the local authority are doing all they can, but we are always dependent on other people," he added.

Chairman of the Council's regeneration committee Councillor Dave Green said they had already taken on board many of the points made by BRAG and were looking at similar priorities.

He said the CCTV system was improved, whenever possible. "We are also looking to ensure there is investment coming into the centre, rather than out of town."

He said public transport was being examined and a pilot scheme was being adopted to improve routes into the city.

Chairman of the Council's community safety sub-committee, Councillor John Ruding, said astudy of city-centre CCTV had shown a 20-camera system was needed. A £150 million Home Office pot was likely to be announced at the end of this month to fund security systems.

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