THE T&A have investigated a number of hotspots along cycling Route 66 where broken glass is littered across the pathway.

The route was created by charity, Sustrans, which aims to promote sustainable transport whether for work or leisure.

But, Route 66, which offers commuters a cycling trail in and out of the city centre, has suffered from people littering and breaking bottles, providing a potential hazard for not only cyclists but also anyone walking the route.

You can see the hotspot areas that were investigated via the interactive map below, as well as watching the video above that documents the issue.

Litter, such as old pizza boxes, crisp packets and even drug bags, is also a problem on the route.

Cllr Nazam Azam said: “It is unacceptable, and it is disappointing, that fact that someone is responsible for this. But, once I heard I chased it up and I’m confident it will be done by the end of the day.

“I’ve seen a copy of a log from the Highways Department and it is aware of the issue and it will be resolved.”

The T&A went to investigate further on May 16 after this comment was made, to find the glass was still present, with some areas even worse than before.

A spokesperson from Sustrans, who run hundreds of routes, like this one, across the country said: “Spen Valley Greenway is part of Route 66, which is an extremely popular route for people cycling to work or for leisure, as well as for walking and horse-riding. Litter is a problem along many of our traffic-free paths in urban areas.”

They added: “Broken glass in particular is a hazard for people on bikes and other users such as children, dogs, horses and the many species of wildlife which travel along the routes or use them as habitats or paths.”

We spoke to David Robinson, Director at Capital of Cycling, about this issue - you can see the full interview below.

He said: “Obviously where there is glass, it’s a problem because you’re likely to get punctures. But it’s not just on this route that there’s glass, there’s glass generally around Bradford. It’s down to people throwing bottles.”

He added: “I wouldn’t say that people should stop trying to cycle because there’s broken glass on the road or something, get yourself a decent set of tyres and watch out for it.

Mr Robinson believes these kinds of issues are more the responsibility of the central Government and the cuts it has imposed on local councils.

He said: “I’m not ready to condemn the council outright for not doing that (sweeping up).”

He also mentioned that unfortunately not enough people seem to report the problems and so nothing is ever done.

The Sustrans spokesperson said that the land where the route runs isn’t theirs.

But, they said: “We have a dedicated group of volunteers who help our ranger with litter collecting and we’re always looking for more volunteers to help out.”

The council were contacted directly but didn’t make a comment in time.