KEEN green councillors turned red when they admitted that most travelled to a town hall meeting by car.

They were considering a report on Agenda 21 which is Bolton's response to the Rio Earth Summit of 1992.

It is a pledge to make the town a cleaner, greener place in the next century.

But Liberal Democrat Cllr David Wilkinson challenged colleagues to show an example in the way they lead their lives.

Only four out of 17 councillors and officers at a housing renewal sub committee used public transport to travel to the meeting.

Cllr Wilkinson who used a bus to travel from Westhoughton said: "This is all about how people adapt their own lifestyles.

"They have to be aware of the environmental consequences of their actions."

But Labour Cllr Guy Harkin said that while most people supported the environmental idea, few would like to see the town centre as "a car free zone."

He said: :"Whether we like it or not, Bolton town centre has to compete against others.

"If we stopped cars coming to it, we would find the town would lose out both in terms of shopping and the economy."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.