Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott experienced first hand the congestion in Bingley town centre as he arrived in the town aboard his battle bus.

Flanked by protection officers, he was 15 minutes late arriving from Shipley to visit part of the site of the long-awaited relief road behind the town's railway station.

A group of around 20 supporters greeted the grinning Mr Prescott as the tune of the Lighthouse Family's song Lifted - Labour's election tune - blared out from the Prescott Express.

The crowd counted down from five as Mr Prescott gave an official seal of approval to the £47.9 scheme by turning a traffic sign to go.

After shaking hands with wellwishers, he was surprised to be presented with a card for his 63rd birthday next week by former Bradford Lord Mayor Doris Birdsall CBE.

Mr Prescott told the crowd Labour candidate Chris Leslie was a man of action who had pestered him relentlessly to get a bypass for the traffic-choked town centre.

"You don't have to tell me you need a relief road, I have just come in that bus through Shipley and I know what you mean.

"As soon as we came in we reviewed the road programme, and I am delighted to see contracts have been signed. It will relieve the terrible situation you have got and it is also good for the environment as pollution will be a lot less as the traffic moves more freely."

Eileen Sinclair was one of the members of the Better Bingley Campaign who gathered thousands of signatures on a petition to present to Mr Prescott in 1997 and yesterday came from her Crossflatts home to thank him for getting the road through at last.

She said the road should have been underway in 1996. "The canal was moved and the bridge done but nothing else happened and a lot of people round the area suffered. There will be a bit of upheaval but I am looking forward to listening to my radio with the window open at last which I cannot do now because of the noise of the traffic."

Then the bus headed along the A650 as children were spilling out of school and walking home along the busy road, and he arrived in Keighley to a warm reception.

Mr Prescott addressed a crowd of shoppers and supporters outside the Airedale Centre, pounding out his party policies with the aid of a public address system. He signed autographs for people including first time voters Victoria Bugeja, 18, and Claire Bottomley, 20, both Keighley College Students who said they had enjoyed his visit.

Mr Prescott swapped his battle bus to get behind the wheel of public transport as he viewed the digital CCTV system on board Keighley and District Travel buses, describing them as "very worthwhile" in the fight against crime.

Ann Cryer, Labour candidate for Keighley, said she was pleased with the visit. She said: "I was a bit apprehensive and terrified that the Countryside Alliance would be here to protest but we have had nothing like that, Keighley has lived up to its reputation as being a very good town."