SALFORD City Council has asked Bolton for help to solve neighbour disputes, following the success of the "good neighbour" scheme in the town.

The Bolton Neighbour Dispute Service, set up in 1992, will now operate in Salford until the millennium and will offer mediation to "neighbours at war".

The scheme sets out to reach an agreement acceptable to both sides with the help of an independent, neutral third party.

The service operating in Bolton acheived a 97pc success rate last year and, since its launch six years ago, has helped more than 1,000 households.

Funding from Bolton Council has enabled the scheme to grow from a pilot project serving 5,000 homes to a permanent service for the whole of Bolton.

Salford City Council is one of many authorities throughout the country to have been assisted in setting up similar services.

Chairman of Housing, Cllr Noel Spencer, said: "It is a real pat on the back that we are now able to provide such a service to our neighbours, Salford City Council."

The Dispute Service also initiated Bully Free Zone, an award-winning peer mediation project which reduces bullying and the fear of bullying among children and young people.

Mediators are being sought to help in Bolton and Salford. For information call Arlene or Sheila on 01204 386868.

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