Channel 4 is planning to lift the lid on the explosive and racially divise situation in Bradford with a documentary looking at child abuse by Asian gangs. It will examine in more detail the phenomena of 'grooming' of young white girls and their subsequent abuse first uncovered by Channel 4 news last year.

The story uncovered by C4 news showed Asian gangs targeting young white girls - often only 10 or 11 - for a life of sexual and drug abuse. Charismatic, wealthier men were seen enticing vulnerable girls by pretending to be their boyfriends and encouraging a drug dependency. Tragically, some girls were naïve enough to be unaware that they are being abused while those who threaten to leave were violently intimidated.

The documentary, Edge of the City, will look at the ongoing issue which is causing alarm among social workers in Bradford and splitting up the city along race lines. It follows the stories of two mothers who are desperately trying to track down information on the groomers who control their daughters.

The hard hitting film also examines other facets of life in the city through personal stories of people struggling to cope despite being at risk, ignored and often despised.

It follows a 17 year old young offender Matthew who has had 96 convictions, the first of which was received when he was 10. On release from a detention centre, he is assigned to Omar - a British Muslim whose role is to keep this underprivileged white youth out of trouble. Viewers also meet Caroline and Keith, a physically disabled couple in their forties, and the spirited, 81 year-old, Eric Robinson. As vulnerable adults they are one of the fastest growing areas of social work.

Channel 4 says, 'These are the neighbours we don't want to know whose problems we don't want to see. Focusing on Bradford, a city recovering from the riots three years ago, Edge of the City provides a snapshot of the darker side of urban life in Britain.'

Edge of the City will be broadcast on Thursday 20th May

Media contact: Sophie Toumazis at tpr - 020 8347 7020 / sophie@tpr-media.com