THE town’s civic leader has pledged his support to The Bolton News’ Drive For Justice campaign.

Cllr Cliff Morris, leader of Bolton Council, added his signature to the hundreds of others already there and said increasing sentences for dangerous drivers was the only way to get people to think about their actions.

He said: “It is about sending out the right message to people who drive dangerously in this manner. People need to be aware of the consequences of their actions and if the consequences for them are not severe enough, then it will not act as a deterrent.”

Cllr Akhtar Zaman, the council’s executive member for environment services, whose portfolio includes responsibility for the borough’s roads, has also signed the petition.

He said: “We want people to be safe when they are walking along the borough’s highways and pavements and that is why this campaign is so important.”

Our Drive For Justice campaign was launched last month after Bolton Crown Court Judge Steven Everett criticised the law that only allowed him to jail dangerous driver Christopher Marr for 26 months.

Devon Foster, aged 14, Jacob Fear, aged 15, and George Coleman, aged 16, all suffered horrific injuries after the car Marr was driving went out of control, mounted the pavement in Darwen Road, Bromley Cross, and hit them as they were walking home in the early hours of August 22.

So far, more than 700 people have signed our petition online, while hundreds more have put their signatures on paper petitions being distributed across the area.

This week, Bolton Conservative councillor Andy Morgan, has taken our campaign to the Tory Party Conference in Birmingham, where he is hoping to explain the campaign to Justice Secretary Ken Clarke.

Cllr Morris said he would also be pushing his party nationally to lobby Mr Clarke to change to sentencing structure.