Bradford Council has rung a warning bell regarding possible traffic disruption during the Grand Depart of the Tour de France next year.

While the Council is already working with local organisations and businesses to get ready for one of the world’s biggest sporting events, there will be inevitable snarl-ups and diversions, said Coun Andrew Thornton, executive member for environment, sport and sustainability.

“This is a truly major event – one of the biggest sporting spectacles in the world – which requires an enormous amount of planning and preparation,” he said. “There is no getting away from the fact, that there will be significant disruptions to traffic and residents’ day-to-day routine in the towns along the route.

“With an event of this scale such impacts are unavoidable, but we’re working to minimise these and will provide comprehensive information to residents and visitors so that they can prepare.”

Coun Thornton said every effort was being made to link up all those involved in the spectacular event.

“We’ve had an operational group in place for several months consisting of representatives from the Council, the police, the fire service, the ambulance service, Metro, the local hospitals, and business and tourist bodies,” he said. “The Tour de France is a great coup for the district that will bring economic and cultural benefits and will probably be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the event on their doorstep. Billions of people all over the world will see what incredible countryside exists here when they watch the event on television.

“It will prompt them to think about visiting the area in future years, particularly when they realise there are such historical landmarks here and such friendly people.”

The local authority issued its warning after Councillor Glen Miller, Tory group leader on the Council, accused the Council of not doing enough to forewarn people of the disruption the Tour will bring.

Earlier in the week, he said: “I think it is important that we give residents as much detailed forewarning as possible so that when the disruption comes, people will be prepared and thus not have any negative experiences of the event.”