Thousands of jobs in Bradford are at risk, according to the director of a West Yorkshire-based business.

Scott Watson (pictured), director of performance at Halifax-based human resources firm Summit Consulting and Training, believes Indian call centres are a becoming "a very real threat to the future prosperity of the call centre industry''.

And he warned companies could end up doing more damage than good by relocating abroad.

He said: "There is no doubt that the trend towards transferring call centre operations to the East is set to continue.

"Insurance company Aviva recently announced it is setting up a call centre operation in India, and this throws uncertainty over much-needed jobs in Yorkshire region.

"And, to compound this trend, other organisations including HSBC and GE Capital already have established call centre operations in India.

"Bradford has developed quite a successful call centre base. If a prosperous future is to be secured in Bradford, executives need to commit to staying competitive not just through their product or service but by having a highly-motivated, highly-trained workforce that develops customer loyalty and maximises income.''

He said lower wage bills, high levels of education and impressive IT systems attract firms, but said sensitive political situations, poor telecommunications infrastructure and a widespread inability for Indian-based staff to understand British regional accents can cause problems.

He added: "This can severely impact on the customer's experience and perception, as well as damaging the company's reputation.''

Some industry insiders believe the Indian call centre industry is set to grow at a massive rate, but Mr Watson said there won't be a stampede to relocate operations to India.

He explained: "There is likely to be a steady stream of small-scale projects to test the water rather than jumping straight in with heavy financial investment.''

He claimed firms must realise the raft of problems which could caused by relocating call centres abroad.

He added: "There is huge potential for a backlash from customers who find they are being dealt with by someone 6,000 miles away rather than in the UK, as well as what they perceive as possible exploitation of low-paid employees in a poor country.

"Companies also face the problem of attracting adverse media publicity that could damage their corporate image and ultimately, their profits.

"The highly optimistic growth rates for Indian call centres may not be as realistic as some industry watchers claim.

"Many small operations aim to secure high volumes of business quickly to meet tough income targets.

"However, the fact that many will not exist in a few years time should not be used as an excuse for UK based operations to become complacent.

"If you want to maximise your performance and safeguard your future, you need to take action now.

"Focusing on costs alone will not be enough to sustain the growth of the industry in India. As well as being the cheapest, they also need to prove they are the best, and that remains to be seen.''