BOLTON court cases could be moved out of town in a bid to avoid building the new £8 million magistrates court.

Fears are growing that the Government is set to ditch plans for a new building in Cheadle Square and move trials to less busy courts in the North-west.

But senior councillors have vowed to fight any moves to scale down Bolton magistrates and make witnesses, defendants, legal staff and the public travel to other towns.

They will press the Government to go ahead with the new court building, postponed at the final hour by a Government spending squeeze.

Council leader Cllr Bob Howarth said: "It would be unacceptable to trail Bolton citizens to Bury or Wigan because we do not have the capacity here. "Clearly, this is something we will have to strongly oppose. We will try our utmost to ensure cases stay here in Bolton borough so people do not have to travel anything up to 15 miles for a hearing."

Fears the town could miss out were sparked by an announcement that Bolton, Wigan, Rochdale, Bury and Salford magistrates are to amalgamate under one administrative umbrella next April.

Bolton has applied to the Lord Chancellor's department to oversee the administration of the new legal operation from offices in Paderborn House, soon to be vacated by the registrar.

But councillors have been warned the Lord Chancellor will now be reviewing capacity by area rather than town.

Town hall officers believe this will mean cases from Bolton's busy, overcrowded and outdated magistrates' court being transferred to courts in other towns to save the £8 million earmarked for another building.

The Civic Affairs sub committee were told the Lord Chancellor could favour this option because plans to find private cash or other funding for Bolton's new court were looking increasingly unlikely. But Cllr Howarth said: "Can you imagine what it will be like for people with no car trying to get to courts in Rochdale or Salford for a hearing? We will have to oppose this."

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