BRADFORD Council has hit back strongly after pubs and bars criticised it for “leaving them to suffer” by not dropping bollards to allow deliveries from breweries.

The Licence Trade Association, which represents pubs and bars in Bradford, has accused the Council of refusing to drop automated bollards, meaning staff have to roll heavy barrels and carry equipment up and down Ivegate and Sackville Street, and said it should “hang its heads in shame”.

In response, Bradford Council said bollards can be dropped if applications are made in advance and the majority are approved, but that Ivegate is a pedestrianised street and the public must be kept safe.

Robert Thompson, chair of the LTA, said: “Members asked for our help in resolving issues detrimental to the running of their businesses.

“From 10.30am to 4.30pm, in Ivegate there is no loading allowed and bollards are raised. Because of the Covid restrictions, deliveries from the brewers are limited.

“If they are not there before 10.30am they either have to leave without delivering to three businesses, or heavy 22 gallon barrels have to be rolled down the street by hand, and this danger has been pointed out to the council.

“Again because of restrictions, entertainment is on at the outlets in the afternoon, and they are not allowed through the barriers to unload equipment, so they park at the barriers and walk down.

“Over in Sackville Street, at the top of the street are bollards that for some months have been broken and will not lower.

“Our members again have to roll heavy barrels down the street, which we consider extremely dangerous to staff and pedestrians.”

Mr Thompson added that applications made by members to get bollards lowered have been declined “numerous times”, and that “members are left to carry on with the daily struggle, and Bradford Council should hang its head in shame”.

A Bradford Council spokesperson said the pedestrian zone with limited delivery times has been in place for a decade.

He added that since 2018, more than a thousand requests for special access to the area have been approved, and only 38 declined.

The bollards in Sackville Street, which are operated by police, were installed to “help police responding to public order offences at various nightclubs in the area” and they have been recently repaired.

Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, portfolio holder for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said: “The nature of Ivegate has changed quite dramatically in the past year with a lot more bars there who would like daytime access despite the restrictions.

“Obviously we want to help the businesses grow and succeed but it is a pedestrianised area and we need to ensure the safety of pedestrians as well.

“We’ll be writing to businesses in the area soon outlining the process they need to follow to gain access and hopefully that should help clear up what the procedure is.

“We’ll also be reviewing access arrangements for the city centre more generally as part of our Transforming Cities programme so will be consulting with businesses on that early in the New Year.”