THE greyhound track at Westhoughton has been given an eight-year reprieve following a last-ditch deal.

The Wigan Road racing stadium has been bought by a developer for an estimated £300,000.

Dog owners who use the track say he has given them permission to lease it for eight years.

They are now planning to raise an initial £40,000 to rennovate the stadium and turn it into one of the premier venues in the North-west.

Bolton dog owner Tony Foden, one of the new leaseholders, said today: "We were handed the keys on Friday.

"This is great news for dog owners and racing fans, not only in Westhoughton but across the North-west."

The track had been under threat of closure for months while bidders tried unsuccessfully to buy it from owner Arthur Brightcliffe.

Racing fans feared the stadium -- the last independent track in the North-west -- was about to become a housing plot.

They set up an action group and held regular meetings to fight the closure. Mr Foden said the leaseholders and developer plan to develop the stadium over the next few years.

They hope to refurbish the bar, create a new paddock for the dogs and install a new trap system. There have also been in talks with a Yorkshire-based firm about re-laying the track.

The venue will be renamed the Bolton and Westhoughton Greyhound Stadium in memory of the Burnden track which closed in 1996. Mr Foden said: "The track equipment is in good working order but a lot of work still needs to be done. It will take a while, but we hope to make this stadium an attraction for racing fans and dog owners in Westhoughton, Bolton and across the North-west."

The move has been welcomed by dog owners, bookmakers and racing enthusiasts alike.

Bookmaker John Ainsworth, who has taken bets at the track for most of his life, said: "This is wonderful news, which will be welcomed by a lot of people.

"The track has a lot of potential. It couldn't have a better person looking after its interests than Mr Foden."