ACCIDENT and emergency waiting times at the Royal Bolton Hospital have improved by almost 18 per cent in the last four years.

Between October and December 2002, just 78.9 per cent of patients were treated, discharged or admitted within four hours.

But in the same period last year that figure had risen to 96.5 per cent, according to figures released by the Department of Health.

The improvement comes despite the hospital's casualty department being busier than ever.

More than 25,000 people were seen in accident and emergency at the Royal Bolton Hospital in the last three months of 2006, making it the second busiest hospital in Greater Manchester.

But even though waiting times have drastically improved, the hospital is still failing to meet Government targets that they should be seeing 98 per cent of patients within four hours.

Heather Edwards, head of communications at the Royal Bolton Hospital, said: "It's good news for patients in that we have made a year on year improvement in waiting times in accident and emergency despite more and more patients coming here.

"But we recognise that we need to make further improvements and will be working hard on that."