A man and his dog needed treatment after touching a sulphuric acid solution believed to have been left behind by a council workman.

Brian Edward suffered hand injuries after rushing to the aid of his dog Gnasher which had become soaked with the acid.

The 14-week-old puppy had found a half-empty bottle of Heavy Duty Drain Cleaner under the bath in Mr Edward's West Bowling flat which had spilled on its head.

Mr Edward, who was burnt while trying to clean up his pet, said he believed the bottle had been left when a Bradford Council workman came to unblock his bath in August.

"I heard the dog yelping and I ran in there to help him," he said.

"He was trying to wipe the stuff off his head on to the floor. One of his eyes looked really bad.

"I found the bottle at the back of the bath and there was still acid in it."

Unemployed Mr Edward, who lives alone at Kirkham House in Parkway, said he had found a bottle of the cleaner shortly after the work was done and had taken it to his local housing office to alert them to the oversight.

And he claimed the incident was only the latest in a catalogue of complaints made to the Council about slow responses to requests for repair and maintenance work.

He said: "When I moved in two years ago they told me work still needed doing to the flat.

"Some things still haven't been done and I've been waiting a year for a smashed window to be replaced."

Phil Crossley, of GB Brick and Artstone which supplies the drain cleaner to Bradford Council, said it contained a strong concentration of sulphuric acid.

He said: "It's powerful stuff and can give a nasty burn.

"Our advice to people using it is to wear goggles and protective clothing.

"It should be stored away from other products and certainly should never be left lying around."

Mr Edward's dog, a mongrel, was treated at the PDSA centre in Batley and kept in overnight.

A spokesman for Bradford Council's Newall Street Neighbourhood Housing Office said: "We are sorry to hear of this incident but we will need time to invest the matter on Mr Edward's behalf."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.