A computer programmer has been cautioned by police for Internet vandalism - the first case of its kind in Bradford.

The 24-year-old man from Woodside deliberately deleted files from a website promoting Ilkley-based textile supplier Alpha Tops.

He was arrested under the Computer Misuse Act 1990 and formally cautioned after officers gathered evidence from Internet Service Providers.

Chief Superintendent Stuart Hyde, of West Yorkshire Police, said the case sent out a clear message that Internet criminals will be tracked down.

He said: "Causing damage electronically is just as bad as causing damage with a brick or another weapon.

"This is the first case in Bradford where we have arrested someone for deliberately attacking a website, and only the third in West Yorkshire.

"It clearly demonstrates how the police can track down criminals committing offences on the Internet and should act as a warning to people."

The 24-year-old is believed to be a former employee of a website design company which helped to create the Alpha Tops site.

Alpha Tops IT manager Richard Walton said: "We set up the UK site in July last year. It was virtually destroyed. We've had to replace lots of files and images.

"The site is up and running again now, but this vandalism caused us a lot of problems."

Mr Walton said the site was initially damaged on December 23 last year and ground to a halt over the Christmas and New Year period.

He said: "We use the site to promote the company and our employees in Italy, China and Switzerland use it to access current prices."

Company bosses reported the damage to police in Bradford last month. Officers contacted Internet service providers to gather details of recent activity on the site.

Mr Walton said: "I was surprised the police were able to track down the person responsible. It's encouraging to know people can't get away with crime just because it's on the Internet."