Closure of Bingley bypass for filming of TV drama Better caused 'gridlock' and BBC's fee should be spent in the town, says councillor

Sir Fred Hoyle Way was shut between 6am and 9pm on Sunday May 15, with one side of the dual carriageway being used for traffic travelling in both directions.

The other carriageway was taken over by film crews from production company Sister while they shot car chase scenes for BBC crime drama Better.

The closure led to gridlock in Bingley town centre and significant congestion on surrounding routes and residents have questioned why Bradford Council permitted it.

The town's three city councillors were not aware of the planned closure and Bingley Town Council said they were not consulted either.

Coun Geoff Winnard (Conservative) said that the fee the BBC paid for the hire of the road - the amount of which is not known but thought by industry insiders to be at least £5,000 - should be spent on services in Bingley.

He said: "The closure of part of the Bingley bypass yesterday to allow filming led to gridlock of traffic through the town for much of the day.

"I have already raised this with Bradford Council officers - it's not acceptable that such chaos should be caused without proper consultation with local councillors.

"Will want to know how much Bradford Council charged for this filming and whether any of this will be spent for the benefit of Bingley.

"Hopefully lessons will be learnt to avoid this happening again."

Better, which is written by the creators of Spooks, is both filmed and set in Leeds. The thriller tells the story of a female police inspector who, as a young officer, struck a 'deal' with an amibit9ous member of the city's criminal underworld that suited them both. The plot is about her redemption and morality 20 years on.

Several streets in the city centre and the Corn Exchange have also been used for filming so far.

Bradford Council has been contacted for comment.