AN alleyway at the back of the Octagon theatre has been restricted to the public after bosses complained of drug taking, graffiti and anti-social behaviour.

The path linking Howell Croft South and Coronation Street has now been closed off, after years of problems along the walkway.

The route, owned by Bolton Council, has been gated at either end, with access only given to owners of the Wellspring Civic Centre and the Octagon.

Roddy Gauld, chief executive of the Octagon, said the theatre asked Bolton Council to consider closing off the alleyway because of problems with graffiti and illegal behaviour.

He added: “The alley is quite a dark and secluded area, particularly at night.

“For a number of years we’ve experienced anti-social behaviour in the alleyway, including drug taking and persistent vandalism.

“The safety of our customers and staff is very important, so we’re grateful to Bolton Council for hearing our concerns and taking action.”

A council spokesman added that the police had not made any complaints to them about the area and said the path was shut off on the grounds of “public safety, vandalism and misuse”.

He added: “We decided to close the permissive alleyway between the Wellsprings building and the Octagon following a number of reports of vandalism and anti-social behaviour in the evenings and at weekends.”