STAFF at a inner-city primary school have called for action to be taken on littering and fly tipping in a pathway next to the school.

Staff from Feversham Primary Academy in Harewood Street, Barkerend, say the walkway has an ongoing problem with litter being dumped there, including needles, broken glass bottles, nappies, and other rubbish.

It runs alongside the school grounds and houses in Heath Terrace, and staff at the school have become increasingly concerned with the items being discarded over the school fence and on the school’s land.

Staff at the school are asking Bradford Council to block off the walkway, or for more to be done to try and stop people from dumping rubbish over the fence.

Bradford Council has said there have been no reports of needles in the pathway, and the school’s application to block it off is currently being considered.

They said they have contacted the Council about the problem on a couple of occasions.

Naz Islam, senior school improvement leader, said: “This is causing us a safeguarding issue, and we are doing everything we can.

“This pathway is frequented by undesirable people littering on school land, including discarded nappies, needles and glass bottles.

“Children use this walkway to get to school, and it has been mentioned as a concern by parents.”

Asif Iqbal, senior leader at the school, said he has been told it could take 13 months for action to be taken.

“We have asked the Council to close it off,” he said.

“If it is a problem with funding, we are an academy and have said we will pay for the work to be carried out ourselves, all they have to do is give us permission to carry out the work.

“Something needs to be done soon, it’s not safe for children to have to walk past this every day and to have these items on school land.”

A spokesman for Bradford Council said: “The school submitted an application last October to get this public footpath diverted.

“At the time we informed them that there is a waiting list for this process so it could take up to 12 months before it gets considered.

“There is also no guarantee that their application will be successful, as it is open to public consultation.

“In addition, this path is checked weekly by our cleansing team and any litter is removed. We have not received any reports of needles, but if we came across any or if any were reported, they would be removed immediately.”