A group of professional men renowned for their charitable enterprise and a bunch of supervised law-breakers might seem an unlikely union.

But together, members of the Round Table and offenders working under court orders have transformed one of Bradford's most notorious grot-spots.

Arming themselves with shovels, wheelbarrows and brooms, West Yorkshire Round Table teamed up with the Probation Service to shift a ton of trash from a site plagued by fly-tippers.

The teams braved a downpour to shift tyres, refrigerators and bonfire remains and make the former garages site ready for a community use.

Their efforts were supported by Home Office Minister Gerry Sutcliffe (Lab, Bradford South) who visited the site.

David Pearson, of West Yorkshire Round Table, said the community around Northampton Road, Undercliffe, Bradford, had long condemned the tipping on the site.

"This is an opportunity to demonstrate to the public that offenders on unpaid work are making a difference to their local community," he said.

"Both people from the probation service and their managers and the Round Table guys have made a massive difference.

"It's great to be able to say, there's a site we've cleared and now we can do something better with it."

Potential uses for the Bradford Council-owned site include building housing association homes or a medical centre. During the past year the Council and police have been working with residents to crack down on anti-social behaviour and drug-related crimes.

Stuart Netherwood, of the Probation Service, said they wanted to get involved with organised clear-up events.

"The new idea is to bring in charities like the Round Table, communities, residents and councillors to find out these places that need sorting out.

"We've got some reasonable people with us today who are prepared to put their backs into it."

Councillor Rupert Oliver (Lab, Bowling and Barkerend) said the clear-up was the site's third. "Obviously, the concern is that once it's cleared again it's fly-tipped again," he said.

"We've talked to the (Council's) environmental task force to get measures on it to stop it being fly-tipped again."

Kevin Lennon, 20, one of the clean-up team, said: "It's not really back-breaking. It's helping the community. There'll be children that can play football here. It's well worth doing.

"We are all working together as a team. With the knights of the round table' giving a helping hand we are getting through it pretty quickly."

e-mail: jonathan.walton @bradford.newsquest.co.uk