A disgraced Bradford councillor jailed for sexually abusing two schoolgirls has finally stood down after weeks of refusing calls for his resignation.

More than two months into a five-year prison sentence, Bob Hargreaves has officially quit his seat on Bradford Council.

The timing allows the vacancy in the Bolton and Undercliffe ward to be contested at next month's local elections.

The 62-year-old was locked up earlier this year following a ten-day trial where he was found guilty of eight of the 13 charges he faced, including one of attempted rape.

Before he was sentenced the Council's chief executive Tony Reeves wrote to Hargreaves asking for his resignation. Hargreaves refused and vowed to appeal his conviction.

Under local authority rules Hargreaves should have been automatically disqualified upon being jailed for more than three months. But because he lodged an appeal - which is under review by a Court of Appeal - no action could be taken.

Even before he was jailed, Council bosses took the unusual step of banning Hargreaves from all Council buildings, including City Hall, sports centres, schools, swimming pools and libraries.

He was also expelled from the Liberal Democrats group after he was found guilty of attempted rape, four counts of indecent assault and three counts of indecency with a child at the trial at Bradford Crown Court.

The jury was told that Hargreaves molested the two girls in the back of a butcher's shop in the early 1990s and would give the girls £3 after touching them.

He denied the charges and claimed the first girl was blackmailing him.

One of Hargreaves' victims, now in her mid 20s and whose identity is protected by law, said he should have been forced to quit public office as soon as he was convicted.

She said: "I am disgusted that he has been allowed to keep his job for so long. He should have been stripped of it as soon as he was found guilty.

"He should have stepped down there and then.

"Councillors are supposed to be people of respect, those with power in their community.

"To have someone like that in the role makes a mockery of the whole title."

Liberal Democrat group leader, Jeanette Sunderland, was one of those who called for him to resign or be suspended.

Today she said: "I am pleased to see that he had resigned and created the vacancy so that the people of Bolton and Undercliffe have the opportunity to vote and have three Councillors representing them.

"The Council's hands were tied and couldn't suspend him. The Standards Board for England also couldn't investigate because if had happened before he was a councillor.

"It looks like the rules are going to change. It is just going through consultation at the moment, but in future the Standards Board will be able to investigate whether the Council is brought into disrepute in this kind of situation."

Salman Mather, head of democratic services at the Council, said: "Bob Hargreaves submitted his resignation in time for the deadline for nominations. This means that two seats are up for election in the Bolton and Undercliffe ward."