BOLTON'S Social Services chief has called for restrictions on the number of private nursing homes being allowed to open.

His call comes after nine elderly people, one aged 102, were forced to find somewhere else to live just four days before a local home closed down.

Social workers stepped in to help residents, when the Redcot home on Chorley New Road was plunged into financial difficulties.

All of the residents were aged over 85 and one of them, aged 102, had been at the home for more than 20 years.

Social Services Director Steve Gallagher praised the owner of the home, Irene Chadwick for acting responsibly and being supportive to her former charges and their relatives. Mrs Chadwick alerted Bolton Council early last week when she realised the extent of the home's money troubles. Social services chiefs had just four days to move nine old people and their possessions into suitable homes before the 16 bed home closed last Friday.

Chairman Cllr Ken Peters told the full council: "Last week social services had four days to assess and find places for nine elderly people before the bailiffs moved in to close down their privately run home."

Mr Gallagher said after the meeting that such closures were rare but warned: "I hope I am wrong but I believe we will see this happening more and more.

'We try to work with people to make sure residential homes stay viable. But throughout the North-west, there are more beds being created than there are people needing them.

"Obviously some homes will suffer but that is the current market. There is ultimately a need to ensure that the market works and I think we need some sort of informed planning process. "At the moment, people planning to open homes come to us for advice and what we tell them is very clear about the state of the market but they are free to ignore that advice."

According to social services statistics there are already spare places in Bolton's privately run OAP homes even before another 120 bed home opens in Breightmet.

Mrs Chadwick agreed that there should be a limit on the number of homes allowed to register.

She said: "I would not wish what happened to me on my worst enemy. It was a nightmare. New homes do seem to be springing up everywhere and it is the smaller homes which do not have the capital to survive a bad spell which suffer.

"It was a very distressing time, but I have to say that social services and my own staff were absolutely fantastic. I have nothing but praise for them."

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