HOUSE moves in Bolton are being delayed for weeks because trainee staff at law firms are carrying out more conveyancing work than ever before, according to a leading Bolton property company.

Companies - dubbed by critics as "conveyor-belt-coveyancers" - can delay a move by weeks, and sometimes put the entire property chain at risk, claimed Mark Evans, director of MDA in Manchester Road, Bolton.

"Shopping around for a good deal is important, but people should beware of firms that offer to do the work very cheaply. They operate by leaving the early groundwork to unqualified staff who pass the job between themselves and finally on to a senior at the end of the line where the process is rubber-stamped," said Mr Evans.

He added that problems are arising because unqualified people are not spotting common danger signs or complexities that appear at the early stages of a transaction such as deed problems, land registry issues or quirks in the property.

"The way the work is handled reflects badly on legitimate conveyancers and does nothing to ease what is one of the most stressful things in life. Cost-cutting in this area means thousands of pounds are at stake," he said.

Alan Robins, head of the commercial department at Keoghs solicitors in Bolton, said many law firms have the same concerns.

"We believe in employing quality staff who provide a quality service," he said. "We are also frustrated by delays caused by conveyancers who do not have the back up that we provide, and it is the client who suffers at what is an emotional time."

WARNING: MDA director Mark Evans