Bolton's Victoria Square could be lit up under new funding bid

This comes after recurring complaints about darkness around Victoria Square, in the heart of Bolton town centre, which has prompted fears of crime and attacks which are likely to intensify as days get shorter.

Cllr Martin Donaghy says he has raised this point repeatedly over the previous year - but a solution could soon be on the cards.

He said: “When you speak to people who come into Bolton at night to go to the Light Cinema or to The Vaults, they say its great coming down Newport Street but its quite sinister coming by Victoria Square.

Cllr Martin Donaghy raised the issue at Bolton Council (Image: Bolton Council)

“It doesn’t feel safe, it doesn’t feel secure, you get beyond that you’re OK but then you have to go back through it.

“So now that the dark nights are coming on I think its even more important that we do something about the lighting on the square.”

Therre have been several cases of crime and anti-social behaviour in the area reported.

Just earlier this week, charity buckets were stolen in the square, with money that had been intended to help people in Ukraine taken.

Earlier this year three men were jailed after a series of street robberies in Bolton town centre.

The men had forced their victims into darkened areas before stealing bank cards, phones and cash.

Cllr Donaghy claimed that since asking a similar question back in March there has still be ‘absolutely no improvement.’

He said: “I am assured by the borough lighting engineer Mr Worthington that immediate improvement is possible at modest cost because he has new lampets for the top of the lamp standards, some of them are in stock some have been recycled.”

Greater Manchester Police took part in a targeted day of action, Operation Avro, in Bolton earlier this year (Image: GMP)

At full council he asked leader of Bolton Council, Cllr Martyn Cox what the authority planned to do about this situation.

Cllr Cox said that he viewed Cllr Donaghy as ‘an ally’ in the effort to keep the square safe and announced that work could soon be underway if a new funding bid is successful.

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He said: “We are putting a very large funding bid together to the Shared Prosperity Fund, several hundred thousand pounds, not only to improve the lighting in a full time way but the square and Le Mans Crescent in particular are the jewels of this town.”

He added: “Please be assured that lighting in and around Victoria Square remains very much a priority.”

The Shared Prosperity Fund is money allocated by the government to councils to use to make improvements in their areas.

Cllr Cox claimed that this will come alongside wider efforts to improve lighting in Bolton.

He said: “Some lighting in the square has recently been repaired but there remains a considerable amount of work to do.

“An audit of lighting across the borough has been completed and has flagged up further works which will be completed in the coming weeks.

“At the same time I want a lot more to be done, I want considerably more work to be done on Victoria Square and Nelson Square.”

Cllr Cox said that a 'much wider' scheme was in the works that would see the town hall as a stage to project images on.

He said: "I want to get on as quickly as I can with the work to improve the actual lighting itself but there's a far scheme in train in order for us to use the square and the cresent as scenes and stages for some of the larger events we put on."