SPEED cameras along a busy Bradford road were covered up to allow joyriders to avoid detection - but the carpet designed to obscure the cameras was removed "straight away."

The Telegraph & Argus has been told that three cameras along Haworth Road, in Heaton, had been covered over in the past week and that speeding drivers have been causing misery to local residents.

The contact, who did not give his name, said there had also been a crash into the railings outside Heaton Primary School in recent weeks.

The cameras are the responsibility of the Casualty Reduction Partnership, organised jointly between the police and councils.

Ward councillor Cllr Mohammed Amran (Lab) confirmed racers were covering cameras but said he had only seen one covered near the filling station in Haworth Road, and had immediately reported it to the police.

“It was covered with some cloth or something like that and I suspect is was done in mischief. People are buying cheap cars for two or three hundred pounds with no insurance or registered keeper details and racing them along the road.

“They will have covered the camera I saw so that they can’t be caught. I got in touch with the police and had it removed straight away. Speeding along that road is day and night and residents have been complaining to me. I’ve passed details to West Yorkshire Police and I know they have been carrying out checks there. The police were up there on June 3 and again on Sunday. I’m hoping to have some traffic calming brought in around that area to help stop this nuisance that is affecting people who live there,” said Cllr Amran.

He added that he had heard there had been a crash into the railings near the primary school but believed that to be a genuine accident, rather than a crash from speeding joyriders.

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police confirmed they had received a call at mid-day on Friday that a speed camera was being obscured near the filling station.

“There was piece of material covering it and it was removed without causing any damage. We have not been made aware of any other cameras being covered.”

The police are currently targeting dangerous driving through Operation Steerside. They want people to report dangerous driving to bradforddistrictasbbiketeam@westyorkshire.pnn.police.uk or call 01274 373968 or 101.