A COUPLE of months ago, the BEN highlighted the fact that the subway situated between Castle Street/Dorset Street and Churchbank, Bolton, was being refurbished, with improvements to the approaches by means of a road for cyclists, mobile scooters and also better lighting.

Well the job's been done. A hotch potch job.

The macadam work is poor in the extreme, lighting to the approaches very poor, and, at the moment, there are seven lights in the subway not working. The ceiling in the subway didn't get re-painted, and the walls are dirty. The job must have cost a small fortune.

Apart from the subway work, earlier this year United Utilities carried out some work near to one of the railway arches at the rear of the Parish Church, and what a diabolical mess they made of the lawn area in that area. It seemed as if the army had been on manoeuvres with Centurion tanks. I believe the council was told by that company that they would be making good the damage done. Anyway, just a few weeks ago this same company returned to do the job again, and, again, made a mess of the mess.

I would like the councillors for the area, Prentice Howarth, Don Eastwood and Peter Birch, to view the area themselves -- but not just look, take some positive action.

G Smith

Bradford Park Drive

Bolton

A spokesman for Bolton council said: "We would like to thank your correspondent for the attention shown to our work and can assure the writer that the improvement works to the subway have not yet been completed.

We have temporarily halted the work while special fencing and railings are being manufactured. Once these are in place we will be cleaning their inner walls and painting the ceiling.

The surface that is down at the moment is temporary and, once painting is complete, we will be putting the final surface down. We will then be completing the internal lighting and the lighting on the approaches to the subway."