Bolton Council is calling on the town's MPs to join the fight to save 400 Royal Mail jobs.

The posts will go in Bolton and Liverpool if plans go ahead to close postal distribution centres.

Royal Mail wants to shut Bolton's depots at Wingates and Lostock.

But councillors hit out at the move at a meeting of Bolton Council last night.

And they are going to write to the three newly-elected Labour MPs Brian Iddon, Ruth Kelly and David Crausby to urge them to help.

Blackrod Labour Cllr John Monaghan desribed it as "another whammy for Bolton West" after the British Aerospace job losses in recent years.

His Blackrod ward colleague Cllr Kevan Helsby described the local workforce as "loyal and experienced."

Cllr Jack Foster, planning and environment chairman, added: "We have been elated by the jobs created in the area by the Middlebrook development and then this happens and it knocks the wind out of your sails."

Royal Mail has said no jobs would be lost and staff would be re-deployed. But union leaders have said that there was "no way" all staff could be moved and jobs would be axed.

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