RESIDENTS have voiced fears that an overloaded skip which has sat at the end of an Odsal street for more than two weeks is turning into a safety hazard.

A second skip arrived midway through last week outside the property on Sunnybank Road, with some of the rubbish piled up to more than six feet high.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) said its prevention team would be visiting the area to offer safety advice, but a ward councillor described the issue of skips being left on public roads as a "constant nightmare."

The skips have been placed outside a house which one resident said was in the process of being gutted after a tenant left unexpectedly.

As he didn't have the details of the landlord of the property, he said he contacted Bradford Council to voice his concerns that the skip was dangerously overloaded, but was told by the authority it could not take any enforcement action.

The man, who did not wish to be named, said: "Someone in authority needs to deal with this.

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"If it was dumped in the middle of Manchester Road something would be done, so why not here.

"It's a definite fire hazard.

"I realise that it's the landlord's duty to get the skip removed, but if it is dangerous then the Council should do it and then pursue the landlord for the costs."

Another resident said it was a "disgrace" that the skip had been filled to such a high level and been allowed to block the end of the street for so long.

Martin Speed, Bradford district commander for WYFRS, said: "We would always encourage people not to overload skips, not to keep them too close to a property, and to have the skip removed as soon as possible.

"A skip full of combustible material can become a potential target for arson if it remains in the same location for a long period.

"Whenever people have concerns about fire hazards our prevention team will go out and give advice, which we will do in this instance."

Councillor Ralph Berry (Lab, Wibsey) said he understood the problem was in the process of being dealt with by the local authority.

"I am fully sympathetic to people's concerns, but it falls into a loose area of regulations," he said.

"The issue of skips being left on public roads is a constant nightmare.

"If it's a real danger we can try to get it dealt with, but I wish we had tighter rules as it's a problem we face several times a year."

Councillor Lynne Smith (Lab, Wibsey) said she would also look into the matter, adding: "It is on a public highway and is creating some sort of obstruction. It is also horribly overloaded."

A spokesman for Bradford Council said the incident did not constitute fly-tipping as the rubbish hadn't spilled out onto the road, adding it was the responsibility of whoever had hired the skip to organise having it removed.

A spokesman for the Environment Agency said if the skip was on a public road it needed to be registered with the Council's Highways department, but no-one from the authority was available to comment.

On its website, the Council states that operators can apply for skip licences for a period of up to 28 days, although the duration remains at its own discretion as Highway Authority.

The regulations state that any skip placed on the highway without permission can lead to a fine of up to £1,000.