JUDGE Roger Thomas's commitment to clearing Bradford's streets of drug dealers and dangerous drivers had earned him the respect of the community, lawyer Andrew Walker told a packed courtroom at his leaving ceremony yesterday.

Speaking at the Valedictory to mark the end of the Recorder's four-and-a-half year tenure in the city, Mr Walker said: "He set a new world record for jailing the most drug dealers in a six month period under Operation Stalebank.

"One has only to read the comments section of the local paper online to see the respect he commands.

"When he recently jailed a dangerous driver, the top comment was 'nice one Thomo. Now keep sending them down'."

Judge Thomas, 62, will sit as a judge at Sheffield Crown Court for two years until his retirement.

His standing down as Recorder of Bradford next Friday ends a 40 year association with the city.

He was called to the Bar in 1976 and practised as a member of the Bradford barristers' chambers until 2004, when he was appointed a judge on the Northern Circuit.

He was made a Queen's Counsel in 2000, three years after surviving a skiing accident in which he fell 25 feet over a ledge on to rocks, suffering severe head injuries.

Judge Thomas told the Telegraph & Argus: "I have always felt very loyal and committed to Bradford and I have always done my best for the city."

In recent years, the courts had particularly addressed the prevalence of Class A drug misuse and dangerous driving by young men in fast and powerful cars, he said.

"It is not just bad driving, it is bad driving that carries the risk of damage, injury and even death," Judge Thomas said.

He recalled telling a dangerous driver and a drug dealer he jailed recently they must be living on the planet Zog if they were from Bradford and did not know what sentence they would receive.

"I hope I have made a mark in that sense. It is not that I enjoy sending people to prison but it is a question of reinforcing the court's dissatisfaction and sending out that deterrent message, hoping to stop other people doing it."

Judge Thomas continued: "We are reflecting and reacting to what is happening in the community and the real world and these are two things that decent people in Bradford want to see resolved."