Extra staff and security have been brought in to council waste tips as workers face threats and abuse.

Police were called to sites three times last month and there have been 90 violent incidents in 18 months at one site alone. Workers at the tips say the abuse has escalated since new rules came in for handling trade waste.

Incidents have included: l two men turned away from Ford Hill dump, Queensbury, telling a worker they would come back with a shotgun and and blow off his knee caps' l attendants threatened with hammers l traders driving at workers in vans, threatening to wait for them at closing time or throwing punches Police have been called to the household waste sites several times and one man has appeared in court following an alleged incident at the Bowling Back Lane tip.

The incidents have been caused by tradesmen put out at being turned away for not having the correct paper work or licences to dump waste.

A Security Industry Approved security guard is now employed at Bowling Back Lane.

David Copeland, waste disposal officer at Bowling Back Lane, said: "We've had 90 incidents of violence here in just 18 months and we've worked out that 78 per cent of the incidents are related to vans and trailers. That's why we've introduced this permit scheme."

Iain Bairstow, head of service, said Bradford Council had increased the number of staff working on each shift.

He said all instances of threats or confrontational behaviour will be logged and reported to police.

"We have asked our staff to be sensible. If somebody turns up in a pick-up truck wanting to dump a bed that is obviously not trade waste, then our staff will of course allow them to do so."

e-mail: will.kilner @bradford.newsquest.co.uk