Bradford is ahead of the game when it comes to bug busting.

A partnership in the city has just trained 10 business people to deal with the effects of the Millennium Bug - ten per cent of the UK total of 100 who have gone through the course.

Take-up of the courses nationally has been slow, apart from Bradford where firms are keen to take part.

The picture is different in Leeds where the city's Business Link is unable to persuade many of the growing number of firms there to sign up to its Millennium Bug-busting courses.

Bradford & District Training & Enterprise Council and Business Link Bradford & District have got together to promote the training scheme which is using £240,000 of Government cash.

A number of seminars and short courses have been set up to guide firms in dealing effectively with the problems they will face when the Millennium Bug strikes before, during and after the year 2000.

Last week ten people from firms in the district completed the first of the training courses. They were from Denholme Velvets, Gamma Beta Holdings, Eurodirect Database Marketing, Jowett & Rayner, Horton Housing Association, On-Line computer supplies, Redline, Legal & Personnel Management Services and Gordons Wright & Wright which sent two staff members.

Stephen Napier, of Bradford's Business Link, said today: "Many businesses do not realise the true impact that the Bug will have. It is not just computers and software that will be affected.

"Security systems, lifts, heating, air conditioning, machinery and telephone networks are just a few examples of areas that will be disrupted.

"Companies also need to be aware that the banks and insurance companies have now started to take action.

"Overdrafts and insurance policies will be withdrawn if firms cannot prove what positive steps they are taking to deal with the Bug.

"Customers are also stepping in to take action, with many firms carefully choosing who they will contract with - only those firms able to deal with the problem will win contracts."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.