Police and trading standards officers are investigating allegations that a London company has duped Bradford restaurants and eateries in a £32,000 nationwide scam.

Restaurants throughout the district planning to send money to the company, which claims it is compiling a good restaurant guide, are being urged 'not to touch it with a barge-pole' by trading standards.

The move comes after Bradford's eateries were targeted for the second time by the company which is under investigation by the police and trading standards officials in East London.

Letters from the company, which calls itself Saga Publishing, tell owners their food and service has scored highly in a special survey and they will get a free mention in a Good Restaurant Guide.

The letter adds that for £19 the owner can buy a framed certificate of verification to display.

But Waltham Forest Council in East London, where the firm has its mailing address, has warned that Saga Publishing is the new name for Rosenberg Publishing which duped businesses across the country a couple of months ago. In a story which the Telegraph & Argus highlighted in April, Rosenberg sent identical letters to caf owners saying it was compiling a good caf guide offering a certificate of verification for £19.

A Waltham Forest Council spokesman said a joint investigation between its trading standards department and detectives into the company has revealed two bank accounts into which £20,000 and £12,000 had been paid in instalments of £19.

Officers traced some of the 1,684 companies who had sent the money and found none had received the certificates. Nor had the book been published.

Head of Trading Standards Ed Chaplin said: "We are advising businesses not to touch this company with a barge-pole."

John Atkinson, manager of the Steak Out Diner in Queensbury, said he received one of the new letters but did not part with cash because he'd read the story about Rosenberg Publishing in the T& A and put two and two together.

He added: "You try ringing the number they give you and you can't speak to anyone directly. All you get is an answerphone saying they're dealing with all the applications.

Despite numerous attempts to contact the company the Telegraph & Argus could only got an answer phone message from Saga Publishing.

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