PATIENTS and staff were left out in the cold for 50 minutes when a fire alarm left them stranded outside a Bolton health centre.

The firefighters' strike meant there was no emergency service on hand to check whether or not there was a fire at the Lever Chambers Health Centre, Ashburner Street.

A health centre spokesman explained: "We were told the Green Goddesses would not come out unless a fire was confirmed. It was all a bit of a disaster. There were all sorts of people outside including sick children, mothers and those in wheelchairs."

Bolton Hospitals Fire Safety Officer, Derek Bonds, had to be called out from the hospital and the doors were eventually opened to the public and staff after he had carried out an inspection of the building.

The fire alarm was believed to have been triggered by cigarette smoke in the public toilets.

The Bolton Primary Care Trust said that the proper fire procedure was followed, and worked well.

However, on calling '999', staff were advised that in the absence of an actual fire, the green goddess service would not attend, they said.