THREE of the district's Bradford Council-funded refuges had to turn away 287 women in the last 12 months because they were full.

The figure was released as women's' domestic violence services in the city backed a national Women's Aid campaign calling on local authorities to commit to delivering specialist and expert services for women survivors of domestic violence.

Bradford Women’s Aid, Keighley Women’s Aid, DVS Keighley, Staying Put and the Oasis Project are all behind the urgent call.

Sally Deane, of Bradford Women's Aid, said: "During 2013/14 the three refuges in the Bradford district that are funded by Bradford Council had to turn away 287 women because we were full at the time that they were referred.

"This figure reflects the fact that refuges consistently get a lot more referrals than they have got space for."

Ms Deane was speaking after new research released by Women’s Aid for the start of its SOS campaign revealed a severe shortfall in the number of refuge spaces available across the UK.

Yorkshire and Humber has fewer than two-thirds of the refuge spaces needed, the region has 335 bed spaces, but needs 534 which is a shortfall of 37 per cent.

Despite the national picture, and despite Shipley Women's Aid shutting in 2012 when Council cuts decommissioned it, Miss Deane said: "Bradford Council has an excellent track record of supporting its local refuge providers and we hope we can work together to ensure this continues in the future."

Women's domestic violence services in Bradford are expecting to hear in the next three weeks just how much Bradford Council will be putting behind their work in the next round of grants.

Polly Neate, chief executive of Women’s Aid, said: “Perpetrators of domestic violence will do everything they can to control their victim, which is why specialist support services are essential to help women escape and build independent lives.

"A national network of support services, which allows women to get help locally or escape the area as they need, is essential to protecting women and children. This is why we are sending out the SOS signal together, and we urge the local authority to make a commitment to ensuing that Yorkshire and the Humberside will play its part in protecting vulnerable women and children across the country.”

Women who are turned away from the Bradford refuges are always referred on, Women's Aid has a database of its other safe places but it could mean women have to go out of the area. If there are no available spaces at all or the women do not fit Women's Aid criteria then they are directed to other appropriate agencies such as social services.

Councillor Imran Hussain, portfolio holder for community safety, said: "We take domestic violence very seriously, and it continues to be a priority - we need to provide as much support as possible. That's why in the face of cuts we have protected domestic violence services. But the level of Government cuts mean a lot of related services, including in the volunteer sector, are probably going to be hit. This is unacceptable and we need to keep pressure on the Government to make sure they don't make any further cuts, because these are some of our most vulnerable people."