THE fate of Bolton's famous dog track is finally sealed. The greyhound stadium in Manchester Road will close at the end of the year, ending a tradition which has spanned almost 70 years.

A dramatic decline in people going to the dogs because of the National Lottery is blamed, and financial losses have mounted.

Although the problem is not purely a Bolton one, there does seem to be a glimmer of hope for the future of greyhound racing. Belle Vue in Manchester, is currently lobbying the Government to reduce betting duty by one per cent in next month's budget.

And Raven, the prospective developers of the £13 million leisure scheme, have also said that they hope to build an alternative stadium for greyhound racing and other sports.

Whether or not this comes to fruition, it is still a sad day for the community which has built up at Bolton dog track over the years and for the thousands to whom it has given pleasure and profit.

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