Bradford Council officials are investigating whether it can shut down a funfair that is operating without a licence.

A temporary fairground has been set up on a former tramshed site off Leeds Road in Thornbury to the dismay of nearby residents.

Yesterday, funfair boss James Finnie told the Telegraph & Argus that he believed he had the correct licensing to operate the fair, which opened last night, until Sunday, March 10.

But Councillor Ghazanfer Khaliq (Lab, Bradford Moor) maintained the fair did not have a licence and that the Council had only received Mr Finnie’s application for one on Thursday.

The consultation process for decisions on licence applications is four to six weeks, according to Coun Khaliq.

“It has not got a licence and it needs a licence to operate,” he said.

“We are looking into to get it stopped because obviously he is operating without the approval of the local auth- ority.

“It will probably be a breach of planning, council licensing and health and safety.”

Coun Khaliq criticised the way the fair had been organised.

“He has not gone about this the right way. He should have given the Council enough time to look at the application to see if this was a suitable place for such activity.

“In future, he needs to follow the rules.”

The funfair is on private land, although Coun Khaliq said that would not matter with regard to Council enforcement.

Residents said the fair would blight their lives for the next nine days. Many said they were expecting loud noise, bright lights and litter, referring to a different fair that was on the site about three months ago as proof.

One of them, Joolz Denby, 57, said: “We live on a very quiet street and value our peace and quiet. It’s not just music, there’s shouting, and simulated sirens and gunfire.

“They don’t care about us – they just sweep in and sweep out. We feel completely powerless to do anything about it.”

A neighbour said: “It’s going to cause a lot of trouble. I have children and they won’t sleep because of it.”

One man, who said he had two babies, added: “I am worried that the music and noise will really disturb the whole household.”

Mr Finnie said his family had run fairs across Bradford district for 30 years without complaint. He insisted noise would be minimal and that the fair would be finished by 9pm each day.

He added: “All we ask is don’t pre-judge us. Just give us a chance.”