MPs David Crausby and Dr Brian Iddon have signed up to the BEN's campaign to save Bolton's Magistrates' Courts.

The Labour pair -- who represent the town's North-east and South-east constituencies respectively -- came down to our Churchgate office specially to sign our petition which will be sent to the Lord Chancellor.

Their support comes on top of hundreds of signatures which have flooded into our postbags this week from BEN readers angry at plans to close the court.

But more are still needed to help convince the Lord Chancellor -- the country's top legal adviser -- to step in and reverse the scheme.

A committee of magistrates wants to close Bolton's courts and send cases to courts in Bury, Manchester and Trafford because it claims Bolton's buildings are too old to modernise.

But the BEN has launched a campaign to make sure that Bolton -- one of Britain's biggest towns -- keeps its own magistrates' court by right.

Government figures also show other magistrates' courts in Greater Manchester are softer on crime than Bolton's.

And it is likely that closing the court would also cripple the town's chances of a successful bid for city status.

We have included a new copy of the petition for you to complete and return to us so we can pass it on to the Lord Chancellor and show him what Bolton thinks of this scheme.