A BUSINESS boss is calling for firms to unite to tackle the blight of fly-tipping.

David Gisbourne hopes "to force some real action" to deal with the problem he feels the local authority is failing with.

"It is time that Bradford businesses stood together and sorted what the council seem incapable of doing," said Mr Gisbourne, who is the managing director of Haworth Scouring Company.

He said the amount of rubbish meant he avoided certain roads when showing customers his wool washing business, based in Birksland Street, off Leeds Road.

"If people see others have dumped rubbish on unofficial tips, then they just do the same and it just gets worse.

"It's a huge problem and it's actually difficult getting anything done," Mr Gisbourne said, adding that the littering shaped people's perception of Bradford.

"We need a discussion. We need a meeting with local businesses in this area for us."

One of his ideas was the possibility of setting-up a joint business with other companies to clear fly-tipping - in exchange for a reduction in business rates.

"In business you have to do things to stay alive, so you have to be proactive," said Mr Gisbourne, whose company employs 85 people and pays about £230,000 a year in rates.

Mr Gisbourne said the only time council action had really been taken to clear the area was before royal visits to his company.

His calls follow the threat from a neighbouring company's boss to quit Bradford if the situation is not resolved.

As the Telegraph & Argus reported earlier this month, Ian Pattison, who owns Bower Green warehousing and freight company, is looking to relocate elsewhere in West Yorkshire if a long-term solution can not be found.

He has welcomed Mr Gisbourne's "good idea", which he was has also considered.

But there may be some hope for the companies as Bradford East MP David Ward (Lib Dem) has said the problem simply has to be fixed.

Mr Pattison has shown Mr Ward mound of litter on Leeds Road and the MP is joining the businessman and council officers for a meeting tomorrow.

Mr Ward said: "We really need to put a plan in place. This is not about a one-off tidy-up, because it will just come back again just as bad.

"We really need a sustainable strategy to deal with this. These [firms] are making a significant contribution to our local economy and anybody visiting, or just wanting to work in an area of a reasonable standard, would just be put off."

A Bradford Council spokesman said its Environmental Enforcement Team was investigating.

"We always investigate reported fly tipping incidents to see if we can identify those responsible and prosecute, but we need enough evidence to secure conviction," he added.

"If the rubbish is on Council-owned land, we would clean it up as quickly as possible whilst at the same time trying to find any evidence that would help identify the culprit."