A councillor is calling for traffic wardens to be put on patrol in a Bradford street where drivers flout traffic laws.

Councillor Keith Thomson wants tough action to clamp down on illegal parking in Follyhall Road, Wibsey.

A sandwich shop is a favourite for van drivers who frequently park on double yellow lines rather than legally further along the road or around the corner on Follyhall Avenue, he said.

Coun Thomson (Ind, Wibsey) has written to the police and Bradford Council's highways department, requesting a traffic warden for the area and for bollards or a railing to be put up, preventing drivers parking on the pavement.

He has received a letter from West Yorkshire Police saying the matter has been passed to an inspector.

"I once saw a man drive up on to the pavement on Follyhall Road to use the cash point without even getting out of his car," said Coun Thomson.

"People park on the double yellow lines and the single yellow line, where parking is banned from 8am to 6pm. There are tyre marks on the pavement by the bus stop. These are people who pay their council tax and are nice to their kids, and then do this. It's sheer idleness and ignorance."

Coun Thomson has written to the firms responsible for some of the vans he has seen parking illegally and had a positive response from bosses saying they will instruct their staff to park legally.

He said there was no problem while a traffic warden made regular patrols, but he had not seen one since Christmas.

The campaign was welcomed by Follyhall Road resident Rita Knowles, 61.

Mrs Knowles, who is disabled, said parked cars were a danger to elderly and disabled people who were forced to stray onto the road to get past. She regularly complains to drivers who park on the yellow lines or the pavement outside her house. She said: "Some of them apologise and move on, but others just give you a mouthful. One man just sat there and continued to read his paper and eat his sandwich. There was less of a problem when we had a traffic warden but now she hasn't been around since Christmas.

"I'd like to see railings installed."

A spokesman for Bradford Council said its highways department was aware of the issue and had passed Coun Thomson's complaint on to the police.

Chief Inspector Karen Ravenscroft, of Bradford South police said: "We have been made aware of drivers causing traffic offences at certain times on Follyhall Road and are taking measures, such as monitoring the area at highlighted times and authorising police community support officers to issue fixed penalty notices.

"We want to put out the message that this is not only unacceptable, it is also dangerous to other road users and pedestrians and we would urge people to think about where they put their vehicles."