BOLTON'S famous mayoral limousine got a parking ticket last night while the town's first citizen was at the theatre.

Cllr John Walsh had been dropped off at Bolton Little Theatre in Hanover Street to see a performance of The Wakes.

But while he was inside, his chauffeur was booked for parking the mayoral car on double yellow lines.

According to passers-by, the smiling traffic warden even took a quick snap of the vehicle.

And today the Mayor said: "I guess it's just one of those things."

However, council leader Cllr Bob Howarth was unsympathetic. He said: "The Mayor has to be careful where his mayoral car is parked just like every other motorist."

The limousine was booked between 7.30pm and 8.30pm, during the first half of the show.

The mayor was told by his chauffeur during the interval but seemed to take the news in good spirit, according to audience members.

The play's producers also found out about the parking ticket and made a joke of it in the second half of the performance.

During a scene in which the Mayor of Bolton "drives" on stage in a cardboard mayoral car, a parking attendant, played by actor Harold Smith, gave him a huge, yellow parking ticket.

The ad-libbed scene was thought up by Mr Smith, who dressed in a yellow jacket and donned a peaked cap, much to the amusement of Cllr Walsh.

Theatre spokesman Audrey Lias, said: "It's not easy to park around the theatre and we've been complaining about the situation for years.

"I got a ticket for parking in a pay-and-display space last Sunday afternoon. I'm really not surprised the mayor was caught out."

Today, Cllr Walsh maintained a dignified silence and would only confirm he had received a ticket.

However, his outspoken views on parking wardens have been well documented in the past.

Cllr Walsh once made a bid to banish workplace parking fees for all drivers in Bolton town centre. The Wakes was being performed as part of the Bolton Festival.

A spokesman APCOA said: "We are employed by Bolton Council to reinforce its parking policy and the parking attendant would have been doing his job.

"It doesn't matter whose car it is, if it's parked on double yellow lines it will be booked. The only exception is an emergency service vehicle."

A Bolton Council spokesman said: "The mayor's car is not treated any differently to other vehicles and the same rules and regulations apply to all Council vehicles."