ELECTION candidates in the Bolton South East constituency stepped into the lion's den - when they were "grilled" by pupils at a Farnworth comprehensive.

With less than two weeks to go before the General Election, pupils at the grant maintained St James's C.E School bombarded the politicians with searching questions.

The school is one of several comprehensive and primary schools across the borough taking part in the BBC's Newsround Election Campaign.

Along with schoolchildren throughout Bolton, they have spent the past four weeks canvassing, electioneering and organising their lines of attack.

Each of the main political parties is represented in the campaign.

The Labour, Liberal Democrat, Tory and Green parties were represented by individual pupils in the main hall at St James's.

They supported the candidates in the Bolton South East constituency, who took to public platform.

After a short address by each of the candidates, Brian Iddon (Labour), Frank Harasiwka (Liberal Democrat), Paul Carter (Conservative) and local Green Party spokesman Graeme McIvor, the four threw themselves to the mercy of the pupils.

The questions covered the breadth of the public conscience and included the environment, law and order, education, unemployment and the level of tax on cigarettes and drink.

Similar events will be mirrored in other parts of the borough as the candidates from each of the parties put themselves in the hands of the voters of tomorrow.

Deputy head of St James's, John Price, one of the main organisers of the debate, which was chaired by headteacher David Bowes, said: "The whole school has thrown itself wholeheartedly behind this campaign.

"Every procedure followed at a national level was copied locally, and everyone was very professional about the whole thing.

"In every break, lunchtime and after school the pupils have been working on their campaign strategies.

"It has captured the whole school's imagination and certainly raised their awareness of the main concerns of the day."

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