A MAN who photographed an old Bolton alleyway has got social media talking after a spooky white figure was spotted in the background of his picture.

Bill Bradbury snapped a photo on Sunday morning behind the Victoria Hall where the River Croal goes under Knowsley Street, admiring its historical value.

But in the background, it appears a ghostly white figure's head and shoulders are staring directly out of the window - and people are speculating about what the apparition could be.

Bill, a former headteacher at Rumworth High School and a member of local band The Tontos, said he didn't believe in ghosts but was intrigued by what it could be.

He said: "I put it on Facebook and someone else noticed the apparition - I hadn't noticed it when I was there. I took two photos and the figure was there both time to it wasn't just a one-off trick of the light. 

"I don't think it's a ghost but when I got home I did look up things like 'grizzly murders in Bolton'. One of the suggestions on Facebook was that it could have been a choirboy - possibly now incarcerated below the Victoria Hall."

The Bolton News:

One Facebook user said: "Who is that behind the window at the bottom of the alley? I can see a young boy."

Another said: "There is definitely a boy at the top left. Looks like he's got old Victorian clothes on. Brilliant. Love a ghostly pic."

A third question what it could be, commenting: "Looks like an altar boy?"

Bill added that he plans on visiting the area again, to see if he can spot anything else.

He added: "Because I took two separate photos I don't think it can be a trick of the light, as they both had different lighting. It might be a discolouration of the window but I'm not sure. .

"If I do go down again, I bet there will be about 400 people taking photos. I might not have stayed around if I'd spotted something."

Do you have any ghost pictures from around Bolton? Send them to daniel.hopkins@nqnw.co.uk.