POLICE are hunting an attacker who bit off his victim's ear then spat it on the ground outside a Bolton pub.

Father-of-three Mr David Lilley was lunged at on the steps of the Ainsworth Arms on Halliwell Road, without warning. Friends stood stunned, then desperately picked up the severed ear from the floor, and ran into the pub to pack it in ice. Mr Lilley was taken to Bolton General Hospital, then to Withington Hospital, but micro-surgeons were unable to sew the ear back on.

25 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News,

September 1, 1977

A QUEUE of young hopefuls underlined Bolton's unemployment situation yesterday as they waited patiently for the chance of a job. More than 50 young people waited to be considered for a £31-a-week position as a shop assistant at a Bolton store. At the last count unemployment in the North-west was up to 236,039, and there were 8,218 people out of work in Bolton. There are 1,538 jobless school leavers.

50 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News,

September 2, 1952

OFFICIALS were delighted with the attendance of 5,000 at the Sheep Dog Trials and Show held at Nab Gate, Harwood, on Saturday. The experiment of holding a show on a Saturday instead of Wednesday as in previous years was successful, for the attendance was about 3,000 over that of last year.

100 YEARS AGO

From the Evening News,

September 1, 1902

ONE of the most destructive fires experienced in Bolton for a long time past occurred on Saturday afternoon at Messrs. Blair and Sumner's Mill Hill Bleachworks, the damage which, fortunately, is covered by insurance, being estimated at between £30,000 and £40,000. The bleachworks, which are the largest in Bolton, consist of a series of buildings erected at different periods. The two main blocks are divided by the River Tonge, inter-communication being established by means of bridges spanning the river at various points.

Just before four o'clock flames were seen issuing from the roof of the stentering department. The fire brigade was called, and although there was a plentiful supply of water, the peculiar position in which the works are situated rendered the task of the firemen exceedingly difficult, many of the hose pipes having to be carried round several blocks of buildings, through archways and over roofs and bridges. Favoured by a fresh breeze, the flames spread rapidly, Happily no injury was of a serious nature, but there were many narrow escapes.