THIS week’s pictures show a familiar street in Horwich but taken in different decades.

Both photographs were taken in Winter Hey Lane but the top image was snapped in May 1970 and the lower image in May 1997.

By 1997 things had improved considerably in this main shopping road through the centre of Horwich.

The seventies’ photograph was taken to mark a campaign to rid Horwich town centre of an eyesore described as a health hazard and it won support from town centre shoppers at the time.

They queued up to sign a petition calling for the demolition of a derelict building in Winter Hey Lane.

The organiser of the petition was Mrs Freda Vinton who publicised her campaign with posters outside the building with such slogans as “This is Horwich, let us all blush” and “Awarded the Duke of Edinburgh Award for contamination”.

Horwich residents have always been proud of their town.