BURY'S mayoral limo has got a new registration number after losing its historic plate.

For 40 years the vehicles used by the Mayor for his official duties have carried EN 1, the first Bury motor registration number to be issued.

Recently, family descendants of the original donor, Mrs M.E. Pilling, requested the return of the plate or offered to sell it to the local authority for around £20,000.

Council leaders said the price was too high, and have got a replacement for just £250 which is 6T BUR.

Councillor John Byrne, council leader, said the new plate emphasised that the metropolitan borough of Bury was made up of six individual and distinctive towns.

"The number plate is only a very small part of the symbolism which surrounds the mayoralty," he said.

"We could not justify paying out a huge sum of money to keep the old plate and feel sure that the new one will help to maintain the tradition of distinguishing the civic limousine."

Coun Byrne added: "It is the office of Mayor that is the important thing to retain. Our first citizen represents the borough locally, regionally and nationally. What number plate there is on the vehicle that they arrive in will, I am sure, have no effect on the duties they perform or the warmth of the welcome they receive."