VISITORS flooding into the Bradford district this week for the start of the Tour de France are being urged to take in other sights.

Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) bosses are encouraging spectators to view projects which the grant-giving body has supported.

A map of 20 HLF-funded schemes along the Yorkshire route of the race has been produced.

And among them is a Keighley town centre regeneration initiative and a steam locomotive restoration.

“Thousands of spectators will line the route for the two days when the Tour de France is in Yorkshire," said Fiona Spiers, head of HLF in the region.

"Once the peloton has flown past, these spectators will have plenty of opportunity to explore the county's glorious and impressive heritage.”

Keighley has received more than £10 million in HLF grants, covering 55 projects, since 1994.

The town centre initiative was awarded more than £2m to help with a mixture of building and streetscape improvements.

It has included restoration of a run-down arcade and the reinstatement of traditional shop fronts and signage.

Sue Oakley, the Townscape Heritage Initiative officer, said: "Thanks to the engagement of property owners and funding from the HLF and Bradford Council, we are successfully restoring several historic buildings in Keighley.

"The town has a great deal of character and this is being revealed during the project, with many hidden features being discovered such as Victorian shop fronts, old signs and carvings."

The Bahamas Locomotive Society, based on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, received £780,800 towards bringing a Jubilee-class loco – 45596 Bahamas – back into operation.

The steam engine, originally used by the London Midland and Scottish Railway, was bought for preservation in 1967.

Volunteers hope to have the loco operational again by early 2017.

HLF says that about £219m of its investment since the mid 1990s is located within three miles of the Tour route through Yorkshire – around half the total across the whole county and the Humber.

Meanwhile, Bradford Council has warned people that some of its services will be affected by the race.

Roads on and adjacent to the route will be closed from 5.30am on Saturday, July 5, and 6.30am on Sunday, July 6, until mid afternoon.

Certain waste tips, leisure centres and libraries will be affected.

Golden Butts household waste site in Ilkley will be closed on Saturday and the Sugden End household waste site will be closed on Sunday.

All the other waste sites will be open as normal, which includes Royd Ings at Keighley which will still be open to residents approaching from the east.

However, the volume of traffic may be so dense and access may be difficult, so if it is at all possible it is best to visit the tips another day.

Ilkley Library will be open all day on Saturday and Menston and Burley libraries are scheduled to open from 9.30am to noon and from 1pm to 4pm. No libraries will be open on Sunday as usual.

The Leisure Centre, Keighley, will close at noon on Saturday, and will be closed all day Sunday as it is adjacent to Victoria Park, the site of Keighley’s spectator hub, and the area will be used for parking for spectators.

Ilkley Lido will be closed all day Saturday as this area is being used for campers, but will reopen Sunday.

Council leader, Councillor David Green said: "We apologise for any inconvenience caused to our residents but we hope they will understand these closures are necessary to ensure the world’s largest annual sporting event passes through our district safely and that everyone enjoys this amazing spectacle.

"We have kept the closures to a minimum and we advise people to plan ahead and look to visit their household waste tip or library, for instance, on another day."