THE war on fly-posting has taken a new twist - with Bolton Council chiefs set to plaster "cancelled" notices all over them.

The new weapon in the battle against unsightly advertising posters on empty buildings is set to be unveiled by town hall bosses.

They plan to take advantage of new legislation allowing them to stick the large yellow signs over illegal posters which are appearing with increasing regularity on vacant buildings and walls at derelict sites.

Calls for action against the poster gangs intensified after gaudy bills began to appear on one of the town's most historic buildings, the Swan pub in Churchgate.

Cllr Roger Hayes, the council's executive member for direct services, vowed to get tough with those responsible.

He hopes to take up the scheme following its success in Stockport, after town hall lawyers have studied the legal implications.

"Fly posting has become a real problem in Bolton and makes the place look messy and run down," said Cllr Hayes. "The 'cancelled' stickers appear to have worked well in other parts of the region and will be a useful tool in our battle against these people. We will also prosecute anyone we find to be responsible."

The stickers read: "This placard is displayed in contravention of Section 225 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and is therefore cancelled."

But the last word is much larger than the rest of the text and, seen from a distance, is the only part that can be read.

Council workmen and town centre ambassadors strip gaudy advertising bills from a number of sites across the borough on a daily basis. But, despite the risk of fines of up to £1,000, the fly poster pests return day after day.

The Grade II listed Swan pub, at the prominent junction of Bradshawgate and Deansgate, is a regular target.

Owners Regent Inns shut the pub at the end of last year and boarded it up with metal shutters. Mary Atherton, assistant to the Bolton Business Crime Initiative, said: "Fly posters are a complete eyesore and it is happening day in, day out. It is bringing the quality of the environment down."

Stuart Jackson, assistant director of environment and economic services at Stockport Council, said: "We have found this scheme to be a very innovative approach. It is another tool in our armoury in tackling an environmental crime which many people find offensive."

Brian Tetlow, chairman of Bolton Civic Trust, called for even tougher laws. He said: "Legislation should be introduced to make the people who are arranging functions responsible for the posters problem."

The crackdown on flyposters comes at a time when Bolton has declared war on litter louts and flytippers who are blighting the town.

Earlier this year council chiefs, supported by the Bolton Evening News, launched a Bin It For Bolton campaign.

Over the last four months, litter busters at the town hall have succeeded in trapping 366 offenders responsible for turning parts of the town into shameful eyesores.

What do you think about the crackdown on flyposters? Send your letters to The Editor, Bolton Evening News, Newspaper House, Churchgate, Bolton, BL1 1DE or e-mail: letters@boltoneveningnews.co.uk