BOLTON Street traders want to turn the clock back in more ways than one this weekend.

They are angry that council traffic bosses are closing down the free car park at Castlecroft tomorrow which they say could hit trade.

Now members of Bolton Street Business Club are on the verge of taing over the park and running it themselves.

They want to rent the site and keep it open, free of charge, paid for through weekly contributions from local firms.

The car park was opened as a trial scheme earlier this year, and proved very popular over the summer with around 200 vehicles using it each day.

But with British Summer Time ending this weekend, parks chiefs are closing it down because there is no lighting or security - and the council doesn't have the money right now to make those improvements.

Business club member David Warburton has now suggested renting the site and is waiting for leisure services, who own the land, to give the go-ahead.

"We already have some lighting which we can put up within hours," he said.

Mr Warburton said he had canvassed banks, building societies and firms in the area to see if they would be prepared to shell out £10 or £15 a week to keep the park open and free.

"We've had a positive response, and people are willing to contribute towards the running of the car park because of the advantages to their workers," he said.

"We could impose a small charge but that would go against our principles of having free car parking."

Mr Warburton worried that shoppers would move away from Bury in the Christmas run-up if there were not enough car parks.

"It would be short-sighted to close Castlecroft down. This area is the original gateway to Bury and we need to put more into it - we cannot let this drop.

Dr Graham Nicholson, director of leisure services, said the council was closely examining the proposal and hoped for an early decision.

"The park has been well used in summer, when the issue of lighting hasn't come up," he said.

"But with winter coming, it doesn't meet the council's own high standards in other car parks regarding lighting and security, and that's why we are closing it down."

Dr Nicholson added: "We also need to be sure that if we were to rent it, we would not be liable for accidents, for instance if a driver hit a bollard because the place was unlit."

A review of car parking options is coming to next month's meeting of the transport and engineering sub-committee, but a decision on Castlecroft could be made before then.

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