A GAMBLING awareness group is calling for Bradford Council to be given more powers to battle controversial high-stakes betting machines.

The Campaign for Fairer Gambling has written to the council setting out its concerns about fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs) - often touch-screen roulette - with stakes of up to £100 per spin.

It also wants the authority to set minimum staffing levels inside new betting offices and run test-purchase operations to catch bookies serving under-age customers.

Poker player Derek Webb, who fronts the campaign, has written to the council as part of a public consultation into plans to update the district's licensing policy for betting premises.

Mr Webb said there was now "increasing evidence of the destructive social impact of high speed, high stake casino gaming in betting shops", but acknowledged local councils had little power to take action.

When the council began its consultation in September, Council leader David Green spoke of his frustration that he could not do more to battle the number of bookies in city and town centres, as well as their use of the fixed-odds machines, saying he feels "hamstrung" by national licensing laws.

Now Mr Webb has urged the council to use its gambling policy to call for "further regulatory action against FOBTs, with greater powers of control devolved to councils".

Mr Webb also raised his concerns that bookies now staff most betting offices with just one person, "generally young and female".

He said this raised concerns that staff may not be able to tackle problem gambling, and also left bookies open to being targeted by criminals.

The council's draft licensing policy for 2016-19 said the authority was "aware of the general concern" about fixed-odds betting machines, and said bookmakers should monitor the use of these machines to ensure excessive gambling does not take place.

But Irish bookmaker Paddy Power has written to raise concerns about this suggestion.

Its letter says the term 'excessive' is subjective, and that it is not a bookmaker's "duty to control individuals from gambling within their own defined limits".

Meanwhile, fellow bookmaker Coral has written in to query a suggestion that people applying to open a betting shop will be asked to 'risk assess' their premises, taking into consideration factors like how close it is to schools.

It says in its experience, "children are not interested in betting", adding: "There are very many examples of betting offices sited immediately next to schools and colleges and no evidence whatsoever that they cause problems."

The council's licensing committee will meet on Monday at City Hall to discuss the responses to the consultation and any changes to the draft licensing policy.

The policy would then have to be approved by a majority of councillors at the full Council.