FOOD safety watchdogs in Bolton have come out tops in a new report by the Audit Commission.

Each year the commission surveys the performance of council health inspectors, who carry out safety checks on premises where food is prepared.

Seventy-nine per cent of premises in Bolton were inspected in the year leading up to March 1996.

Some areas only managed to inspect less than half of their food premises. Bottom of the list was Sheffield, where just 38 per cent of premises were visited. Andrew Foster, controller of the Audit Commission said: "It is encouraging to see many councils doing a good job."

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