Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott was in Bradford yesterday on a fact-finding mission looking at the city's canal regeneration scheme.

Mr Prescott came to the Victoria Hotel in the city centre for a meeting with officials involved in the scheme, including senior representatives of British Waterways, Bradford Council and Bradford Centre Regeneration.

He arrived in a Jaguar, with a Land Rover escort and a number of bodyguards for the top security private visit.

Mr Prescott had come to find out more about the ambitious canal scheme - at his own request.

Plans to reinstate the canal, which would follow a similar route to the old waterway between Shipley and Bradford, are designed to bring thousands of new jobs and homes to the district.

Mr Prescott said: "This is an ambitious and exciting project and I'm delighted to be in Bradford to hear about these plans. This project won't just bring water to Bradford, it will bring investment, housing, jobs and a new prosperity to the city."

Derek Cochrane, regeneration director for British Waterways, said: "What was wonderful about the visit was that he was just as enthusiastic as we are about the canal scheme.

"He could see that the close working between the public agencies and private sector was already underway. His visit helps the momentum in terms of making this scheme work."

Mr Cochrane said £45 million would need to be spent on putting the canal infrastructure in place, including creating 11 locks.

But he said the initial investment would then provide a leverage for up to £1 billion of investment in the wider area.

"Boats and waterways provide vitality which creates the focus for regeneration and gives confidence for the private sector to invest," said Mr Cochrane.

He said the Bradford canal scheme had caught the imagination much more quickly than similar schemes across the country. "With projects like this, it normally takes eight years to see anything on the ground but it could be more like four years for this one," he added.

Marc Cole, director of regeneration for Bradford Centre Regeneration, said: "We were delighted to have the opportunity to show the Deputy Prime Minister plans to reintroduce the Bradford Canal and how this will further regenerate the city.

"We are pleased that he is taking such a personal interest in the scheme, which will play a key role in the ambitious regeneration plans for Bradford."

Councillor Andrew Mallinson, Bradford Council's executive member for regeneration, said: "To receive a visit from such an important figure in the Government is a major boost for the Bradford Canal scheme and it is testament to the hard work our officers have put in to make unlocking the canal possible."

Later, Mr Prescott had talks with Bradford New Deal for Communities and was briefed on the work the group is doing to bring crime down and to ensure communities feel safer.

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