Councillors are demanding an urgent meeting over fears an illegal meat plant in Bradford could have been operating for up to six weeks before it was raided by the Food Standards Agency.

And it has led to speculation that as much as 48 tonnes of contaminated meat could have got into the food chain.

It had been initially thought the West Yorkshire Lamb Beef & Poultry Ltd had only been operating for five days from Unit 2 at Iron Works Park, Bowling Back Lane, before it was raided on September 3, by the Food Standards Agency, Bradford Council environmental health officers and Home Office Immigration Enforcement.

Two tonnes of meat, the estimated daily amount processed, was discovered during the raid and seized and it was originally thought that up to ten tonnes of meat could have been sold on.

But now the Telegraph & Argus has discovered that the company was registered at Companies House on May 7 this year, and the agents responsible for letting the unit, acting for landlord Adam and Baka, believe it was trading for up to six weeks, and at least for the whole of August, after taking the lease during the summer.

That could mean up to 48 tonnes of meat could have been processed by the plant. The Council is understood to be still trying to trace the owner of the company.

When asked if it was known how long the plant had been opened, Ian Bairstow, the Council’s strategic director for environment and sport, said: “This matter is still under investigation and for that reason we cannot make any further comment until the conclusion of that investigation.”

But Coun Michael McCabe (Con, Thornton and Allerton), a member of the environment and waste management overview and scrutiny committee, said: “If it’s true that the company has been registered since May, it would be logical to assume it could have started trading soon after that.

“If that is the case then the Council really should investigate this matter further. As soon as it found out it acted which is right. The concern is if it had opened earlier. It is urgent the Council looks into this matter. I shall put forward my concerns.”

Coun Rebecca Poulsen, (Con, Worth Valley) the shadow portfolio holder for environment on the Council, said she would question what the company had been doing from May until September.

“It is worrying, but the Council was very specific that it had been open five days,” she said. “If there has been two tonnes a day for longer that is an awful lot of illegal meat going into the food chain. I will be speaking to Ian Bairstow about this. My other concern is those behind this unit could probably register another company somewhere else.”

The spokesman for the landlord, who did not want to be named, said: “They did some work before the unit was in use and I would have thought it was four to six weeks when it was actually open and using the premises for business.”

A worker at one of the adjoining units, which houses Bradford Shotblasters and Metal Made UK, said he remembered flies and rats around the premises when the unit was open in the summer, and vans coming at all hours of day and night.

Damian Scully, who is based at the neighbouring unit, said: “Wagons arrived at 10pm and you could just see the raw chickens in boxes. It smelled horrible in there – it was disgusting. There was a bad smell all the time.

“They were chopping meat before the refrigation units were even in.”

Wholesale meat cutting plants must be approved by the Food Standards Agency and if they are not, the local authority environmental health department has to take action.

Retailers and caterers also must ensure that they obtain their meat supplies from either an approved meat cutting plant or from a butcher registered with the local authority.