Council chiefs were today accused of "double standards" after failing to buy recycled soil for city centre flower beds.

Recycling company Thomas Crompton says the Council has destroyed its objective by buying freshly dug material.

The row has erupted as Bradford Council launches a multi-million bid to step up its recycling operations.

But today the Council said it had looked at recycled soil from several sources and it was unsuitable for landscaping works associated with the Connecting the City project. A spokesman said such material was used in other schemes.

But Thomas Crompton, the company's managing director, said his recycled soil was carefully screened and was suitable and insisted it had not been sampled by the Council.

He said: "We could have supplied top quality recycled soil for the latest phase of the Broadway scheme and instead dug soil was brought in from outside the city.

"Recycled soil is half the price and we are talking about dug soil being brought in trucks doing unnecessary trips when it could have been done locally."

Mr Crompton said his company, which employs 60 people, processes thousands of tonnes of waste a week which would normally go to landfill tips, recycling 99 percent of it.

Contracts director Milo Zivanovic said: "The regeneration of the city centre is supposed to provide jobs and help local companies. Assurances were given that would happen."

A Council spokesman said: "Three samples of recycled soil were supplied from different sources for landscaping works associated with the Connecting the City project. These were inspected and rejected.

"As a result of this, our highways contractor, Mowlem, was requested to source a 'dug' supply. One was found from a development site that had topsoil surplus to its requirements.

"The Connecting the City project has used recycled or second materials wherever possible. The Council recycles waste from highways maintenance and has recently let a contract with two local companies to screen and crush highway material."

He said the dug soil was being trucked only a short distance.