COUNCIL chiefs have refused to confirm if broken town centre CCTV cameras will be replaced in time for the deadline they promised.

A Bolton Council spokesman would only say that the cameras would be working "in the very near future."

The deadline for replacing the broken cameras is this Friday.

On August 16 town hall bosses promised that the faulty cameras would be replaced "within six to eight weeks."

The pledge was made the day after the Bolton Evening News revealed that the system was still not working more than six weeks after MPs and traders had first voiced their anger about the situation.

The main concerns centred on three spy cameras which monitor Bradshawgate, Churchgate, Great Moor Street, Deansgate and Nelson Square.

A council spokesman said: "Bolton currently has five on-street cameras in the town centre (including Le Mans Crescent) and we are replacing and upgrading the three older cameras on the Bradshawgate corridor that were giving us problems.

"New columns have been erected that will increase the areas that the cameras can view and the system will be linked to the Council's private CCTV fibre network to improve the service. The cameras are due to be fitted in the very near future."

"In addition three new cameras are being installed in Victoria Square to enhance the CCTV provision in the town centre.

"All six cameras are due to be up and running within the next few weeks."

The original cameras were installed 11 years ago in one of the first projects of its kind in the country, but began to develop faults two years ago.