HOUSING officials marched alongside Bolton At Home tenants as part of a protest against a lack of affordable houses.

About 40 staff from the social housing provider, wearing bright pink high visibility jackets, walked nine miles from Farnworth to Manchester city centre to call for more government action before a housing crisis hits.

They met with other housing providers for a rally at Piccadilly Gardens, which is before a national public gathering in Westminster on Tuesday, March 17.

About 380 new homes need to build in Bolton each year to meet the demand for affordable housing, a report found.

Of these Bolton At Home says they plan to build 134 new homes over 2015 to 2018, and the organisation is calling on the government to do more to bring empty properties back into use.