TOWN Hall leaders are to order a review of the use of speed humps in Bolton following complaints that they cause pollution and slow down emergency vehicles.

Cllr David Wilkinson, executive member for environment, made the announcement at a meeting of Bolton Council after revealing that 150 "sleeping policeman" schemes in the borough were currently awaiting approval.

He said the review would examine how measures aimed at slowing traffic were chosen - and how communities were consulted. It is claimed that speed humps increase pollution as cars slow down before them and then speed up after they pass over them.

After the meeting, Cllr Wilkinson said: "There is a worry that we have got traffic calming in places that people aren't happy with and part of the review will look at how we can address that.

"But before we could move any speed humps, money would have to be found in the budget.

"So far we haven't had any requests from the public to move speed humps, whatever some councillors might say. We need to remember that this borough has the third worst record in the country for children killed on the roads."

A safety drive by the council has recently seen speed humps and 20mph limits placed in every housing estate in the borough.

And a number of new schemes to install speed humps have been unveiled across Bolton with 50 humps due to be laid down in Lostock.

The Tory group has accused the council of making the motorist a scapegoat.

Tory councillor Robert Wilkinson said that he had received repeated demands from residents in his Breightmet ward that speed humps be ripped up.

He said: "We need to look at how effective these measures are and how they damage vehicles and cause pollution.

"They do not slow down the minority of vehicles that do speed."

Roy Walmsley, chairman of the Lostock Residents' Group, said: "Speed humps are not the answer and the council needs to think again.

"There are many alternatives that need to be looked at and some people would like speed humps removed.'

Between 1999 and 2002, 579 child pedestrians were either injured or killed in accidents on Bolton's roads - twice the national average.

Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors claim that where traffic calming is proposed around 80 per cent of residents are usually in favour.