LIBERAL Democrat leaders have warned off rival parties amid rumours of a plot to keep them from taking power.

Chief whip Cllr David Wilkinson told Labour and the Tories that any deal to shut out his party -- the largest group on the council after Thursday's dramatic council election -- would "fly in the face" of public opinion.

His comments came as all three parties were prepared for behind-the-scenes talks to decide who will run Bolton council.

No party won a majority of council seats at the election meaning a deal will have to be struck between two of the groups to achieve the numbers required to form an administration.

Labour leaders are denying they have offered a pact to the Conservatives which would see Tory councillors fill the ten all-powerful executive positions -- even though the Conservative group is the smallest on the council.

The alleged offer would also give Labour control of the influential scrutiny committees -- a position party bosses see as an ideal launch pad for their bid to win back power.

It is thought txhat leading Conservatives are believed to favour remaining in opposition and are worried that shutting out the Lib Dems would be unpopular with the electorate.

Any deal which handed back power to Labour is also considered to be electoral suicide by top Tories.

There is no legal time limit for forming an administration, but leaders are hopeful that an agreement can found by the end of the week.

Leading Lib Dems are aiming to determine which other party they share the most common ground with before attempting to strike a deal.

But regular council chamber squabbles between the Lib Dems and Tories have put the possibility of a pact between the two groups in doubt.

Cllr Wilkinson said: "We will be talking to both groups and trying to find common ground on issues such as traffic calming, recycling and the environment."

He dismissed fears that the party would not be able to fill all of the executive positions with experienced politicians as many of their councillors are new to the council.

"We have a lot of new faces and that is very exciting," he said.

The Liberal Democrats now have 21 seats in the council chamber compared to Labour's 20 and the Tories' 19.

Conservative leader Cllr Alan Rushton would not rule out a deal with Labour.

He said: "Anything could happen but I honestly believe that at the moment Labour do not want power."

Frank White, chief Labour whip, said: "We have not had any official discussions and anything else is tittle-tattle."