A SPORTS ground safety body has urged Bradford Council to set out in writing how it plans to keep fans safe from harm, it has been revealed.

The Sports Ground Safety Authority (SGSA), which monitors how local authorities are performing their duties to keep sports fans safe, asked Bradford Council to come up with a stadium safety policy after a review last year, a new report says.

It comes as the district is preparing to mark the 30th anniversary of the tragic Bradford City fire, the worst fire disaster in the history of English football, in which 56 people died.

The report, by the Council's assistant director of planning, transport and highways, Julian Jackson, says last year the SGSA reviewed how the Council was performing its legal responsibilities for crowd safety.

The SGSA "noted that the Council's policies and procedural documents were not specific in relation to sports ground safety and that a specific policy should be embraced to address this", Mr Jackson's report says.

This policy has now been written, and is to go before the authority's Regulatory and Appeals Committee for approval on Thursday.

It sets out how the authority monitors safety at the district's four big sports grounds - Bradford City's Valley Parade, Bradford Bulls' Odsal Stadium, Keighley Cougars' Cougar Park and the main stand at Bradford Park Avenue's Horsfall Stadium - through annual inspections and spot checks on match days.

And it also spells out the steps which would be taken if the authority were to have any concerns over safety, including powers to issue warnings, reduce the capacity of stadiums, shut down all or part of sports grounds or prosecute anyone who seeks to "blatantly disregard the law".

The policy affirms in writing the Council's commitment to its "duties in safeguarding its citizens and others in the sports grounds within the metropolitan district".

And it makes specific reference to the horrific Bradford City fire, in its opening sentence, saying: "Having suffered the tragic events of 11th May 1985, the City of Bradford is mindful of the need to safeguard all users of the designated sports grounds and regulated stands in the district."

Councillor Val Slater, who oversees this area at Bradford Council, said while having the paperwork in place was important, the most vital aspect was that the council had been fulfilling its duties.

She said: "We are already doing it, but nobody has ever got round to putting it in a policy document and this inspection regime has said you must have a policy document.

"For me, the important thing is, have we been doing the job? Has it been done correctly? And hopefully it has.

"We haven't missed anything that has put people in danger, for instance."