LEISURE chiefs in Bolton last night reluctantly lifted their blanket ban on circuses with animals performing in the town.

But they have warned that they will look at every single application to see if there is a way they can stop them.

Placard-waving animal rights protesters greeted councillors as they arrived for a leisure services committee meeting at the town hall.

And afterwards Jenny Dobb, spokesman for Bolton animal rights said: "We felt that they did all they could and they were with us in spirit."

The council has been forced to lift the ban, introduced in 1991, stopping circuses with animals performing on local authority land after a High Court ruling.

In future the council will not be able to enforce a total ban strictly on moral grounds, but will have to look at each case on its merits.

Applications will be looked at to see if they comply with environmental health regulations, whether they are likely to cause a nuisance to residents and whether there is a likelihood of disruption caused by protests.

Vice-chairman, Cllr Steve Hynes, said he now feared that the hunting lobby may now challenge the council's ban on the sport on the West Pennine Moors.

His colleague Cllr Tom Anderton said: "I would urge you to look for every loophole we can to stop circuses coming here."

Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Roger Hayes, a member of the RSPCA, said he wished the council had the rights of other landowners who can do what they want with their land as long as it is not unlawful.

"If there is a strong risk of disruption by protesters, then I would have thought that would be a good enough reason to refuse."

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