BOLTON will not take part in a pilot scheme to allow family planning centres to offer the nine-week abortion pill.

The town's director of public health, Jan Hutchinson, said the town is not scheduled to be part of the scheme, which has caused outrage among pro-life campaigners.

Mrs Hutchinson said: "The Government is proposing a pilot scheme to enable family planning centres to offer medical abortions in the first nine weeks of pregnancy. But Bolton is not scheduled to take part in that pilot scheme."

The Government announced that it was planning to allow women up to nine weeks pregnant to have the abortion pill.

Until now this kind of treatment was only allowed in hospitals. Women would still have to get approval from two doctors.

Mrs Hutchinson said: "This is just one component of a much wider national sexual health strategy."

She said it was important to establish the safest way to provide terminations early in pregnancy.

"The pilot projects will help in this regard, and offer patients a choice.

"Improving knowledge and attitudes to sexual relationships and improving access to contraceptive services should result in a reduction in terminations.

"Termination services will continue to be required in some circumstances. We need to ensure these services are provided in a safe and timely way."

Campaigners have hit out at the government claiming the new abortion pill was a "quick-fix" measure to reduce unwanted pregnancies.