SEVEN out of every 10 holiday adverts displayed in travel agents' windows were incorrect or misleading when trading standards officers in Greater Manchester carried out a survey.

In some cases, the holidays were not available at all.

The survey was carried out in different council areas in Greater Manchester, including Bolton.

In each area, five different travel agents and three internet sites were checked out on behalf of the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities' Fair Trading Panel.

Seventy per cent of holiday cards displayed in 47 separate travel agent windows were wrong. Some 36 per cent of the wrongly advertised holidays were not available at all, 40 per cent had gone up in price -- and the cost of 24 per cent had actually gone down.

And the picture for consumers who buy their holidays over the internet is equally worrying.

Seventy-two per cent of advertised holidays on websites were wrongly described, with more than a quarter of them no longer available and over half costing more than the website claimed.

Many adverts failed to include hidden extras in the price, such as security fees, tickets on departure fees or under occupancy supplements.

"Optional extras" such as transfer fees were often not shown, while websites tended to hide hidden extras among lengthy terms and conditions.

One national travel agent advertised a 14-night holiday in Ibiza for a family of three for £1,126 but when officers asked, they were told it had been "withdrawn" and the price was actually £1,447.

But some travel agents had a 100 per cent pass rate.

Now trading standards bosses are calling on travel agents to check their window displays more frequently.

Independent travel agent Andrew Dickson, who runs St Andrew's Travel in Bolton and is a spokesman for ABTA in the North West said he was "disappointed' by the survey's findings.

Stressing that none of his own branches fell foul of the trading standards investigation he said that, in a fast moving market, it could be difficult for travel agents to keep their window displays current.

"The last thing in the world travel agents want to do is mislead because we want people to book now and again in the future," said Mr Dickson.

He pointed out that many internet and teletext travel agents were not members of ABTA.

While trading standards officers are taking no legal action this time, all the travel agents' head offices are being warned that the survey will be repeated and offenders will be prosecuted next time.

Bolton Council Trading Standards officers have issued guidance notes to travel agents who did not comply and will carry out further checks.