Car owner Bernard Kearns was shocked when he learned his latest motor insurance premium had more than doubled.

But when he contacted insurance giant Morethan to find out why, he was in for another surprise. Staff blamed the rise on Mr Kearns's address in Bradford.

In December 2004, Mr Kearns, 54, of Dixon Avenue, Lidget Green, paid around £485 for fully-comprehensive insurance on his Vauxhall Vectra estate car.

This year, his quote rocketed by around 260 per cent to a whopping £1,251.

"I could not believe it," said Mr Kearns. "I have been paying extra for no-claims bonus protection and have been driving for 31 years and never been involved in a serious crash.

"I rang Morethan to find out what was going on to be told they had reviewed the postcodes in Britain. I was shocked. I was being penalised because I live in Bradford. The city is trying to create a new image - crime is supposedly on the way down. Morethan are saying they do not want to insure people from Bradford, which is a disgrace.

"A car did bump into the back of my vehicle while it was parked in a supermarket car park back in May but that should not have sent my premium up as much as it did."

Mr Kearns has now secured car insurance with a rival company for around £400.

A Morethan spokesman confirmed the company had re-assessed postcodes throughout the UK.

"Morethan is continuously assessing its pricing rates so they more accurately reflect the risk. As part of this review our recent claims experience for the postcode area BD7 has shown a significant increase in the risk.

"Inflationary rises would also be added to the premium. Some customers will see their premium decrease while others will see their premium increase."

Car crime figures for the Lidget Green area from West Yorkshire Police show that in each category the figures are lower for the period September 1 to December 8 this year than they were last year. In 2004 there were 12 incidents of theft of a vehicle but just five this year and in 2004 there were 28 thefts from a motor vehicle but this year there have been 27.

And for the same period there were 20 reports of cars being taken and driven without consent from the Lidget Green area last year, compared with seven this year.

Trevor Sutton, president of the Insurance Institute of Bradford, said inner-city residents nationwide faced higher premiums.

"Direct insurance companies are looking for a particular type of business," said Mr Sutton. "They will quote exorbitant fees to get rid of the business they do not want. I would advise Bradford residents to shop around."