AN overgrown Horwich street has been compared to something out of the "third world".

Horwich resident John Halliwell spoke at the latest meeting of Horwich Town Council about the state of a back street next to his Horwich home, which he branded disgraceful because of weeds, piles of soil and disrepair.

Mr Halliwell told the council: “The road is an absolute disgrace. I would describe it as looking like something from the Third World.

"It needs digging out right through the middle because nothing has been done for the 47 years I have lived there.”

He handed pictures of the back street, situated between Brownlow Road where he lives, and St Annes Road, to councillors, asking them: “Is this really somewhere you would like to live?”

Councillor Andrew Morley disagreed with Mr Halliwell’s complaints and said: “Looking at this picture I think it looks very nice. There are much worse places; it is nice and green in my opinion.”

The comments were not well received by 75-year-old Mr Halliwell who labelled Cllr Morley “ignorant”, saying: “If you think that as a Horwich town councillor, then you are downright ignorant and you should resign.”

Asked by Cllr Morley if he would consider standing for a seat on the town council, an angry Mr Halliwell responded: “If I had to come and sit here and listen to your claptrap then we would fall out.”

New council leader Kevin McKeon said that, while he understood that residents get upset about weeds, “Bolton Council can’t be held responsible for every back street in Bolton — particularly with cutbacks to funding.”

But Cllr Joyce Kellett disagreed, and said: “These things are a hazard, and I don’t think we should dismiss this. It’s not acceptable and we should do what we can to resolve it.”

The council then voted in agreement with a proposal from Horwich Mayor, Cllr Richard Silvester, who suggested that the Bolton councillors who sit on the town council should raise the matter with the neighbourhood services department to see what can be done.