A WOMAN hoping to start her own haulage business has accused Bolton Institute of running her plans off the road with administration blunders.

Lynette Bowers and partner Michael Hatton, who is a lorry driver, were due to set up their own company this month.

In preparation, at the end of last year, 23-year-old Lynette enrolled on an evening short course to get a certificate of professional competence, which she needs to operate a haulage firm.

After completing the 10 week course Lynette, of Thistleton Road, Platt Hill and five others were expecting to sit the exam.

But the night before the test they were horrified when their tutor told them the Institute had forgotten to send in their applications so they could not sit it.

"We were all devastated as myself and some others were relying on the result to set up businesses or further our jobs," said Lynette.

The Institute refunded the course and exam fees but the students had to wait until June to sit the exam.

Lynette believes that because it was so long after the course finished, she failed part of the test and had to re-sit it again in September.

But there was further heartbreak in store when, 10 weeks after the re-sit, she had still not had her results passed onto her by the Institute.

When she rang to check she was told she had failed again and had missed the deadline for entering again.

Lynette believes her results had been at the Institute for two weeks, but they had not been sent out to her.

After frantic phone calls to other colleges and agreeing to pay a late entry fee, Lynette has now arranged to sit the exam again at Wythenshawe College next week.

"I'll stay well away from Bolton Institute in future," said Lynette.

A spokesman from Bolton Institute said: "We do not discuss the case of individual students with the press.

"But there is a formal and comprehensive complaints system at the institute which gives full recourse for the students to give evidence."