A REJUVENATED Bradford street has missed out on being named the nation's high street of the year.

North Parade, which has been transformed in recent years, lost out in the final three of the Government's Great British High Street competition.

St Giles Street in Northampton in the city category took the award ahead of Bradford and Mill Road in Cambridge.

The award winners were announced at a ceremony at Admiralty House in London this afternoon.

North Parade, which only four years ago was run down with a third of shops standing empty, has been reborn into an independent shopper's paradise, thanks to support from Bradford Council and the hard work of local entrepreneurs, the judges state.

Keith Wildman, who runs the Record Cafe on North Parade, said: "It's disappointing, but I think it shows how far the city has come that we have made it into the top three.

"It gives a little street in Bradford some national recognition.

"When the judges came round, they were impressed by it."

Bradford Council leader, Councillor David Green, said: "I'm disappointed after all of the hard work put in by the businesses on North Parade and council officers. 

"But I think getting to the final three was a real feather in the cap for everybody involved."

There were 230 applications to the competition across all categories, and the process also included an online public vote.