BEDROOM tax protesters took their campaign to the doorstep of Bolton Council leader, Councillor Cliff Morris on Saturday.

Angry campaigners intended to stage a mock eviction of the Labour group leader from his house to make the point that council tenants have lost their homes as a result of the controversial tax.

Fifteen members of Bolton Against Bedroom tax marched to the Ladybridge home of Cllr Morris wearing masks of his face.

Their plan was to“evict” the councillor from his home, but they found that he was not in.

Instead the group made their point in his driveway.

One member took to a megaphone while others served an "eviction notice" which they stuck on his garage door.

Linda Charnock, founder of Bolton Against Bedroom Tax, said: "We want him to know what it feels like to be evicted."

The group have been protesting for three years calling for the authority to adopt a ‘no evictions’ policy for those in rent arrears because of the under-occupancy charge.

The spare room subsidy, which has become known as the bedroom tax, came into force in 2013 and means that people living in housing association or council property will receive less in housing benefit if they live in a house that is deemed to have one or more spare bedrooms.

In 2013 the group presented a petition with more than 4,000 signatures, the number needed to trigger a discussion on the issue at the town hall, but no such debate has yet taken place, the protesters claim.

Ms Charnock added: "It is our democratic right for it be discussed. It has just been shoved from one meeting to another and we aren't being heard. It is time that something is done.

"We have hundreds of people in our campaign who want our voices heard. We voted for Cllr Morris to be in that seat and he is not speaking for the people."

Another member of the group got a megaphone out to shout that Cllr Morris was being "evicted".

Some neighbours emerged on the quiet street to see what was going on.

The group shouted: "Cliff Morris, we are evicting you today for not giving us our democratic right.

"He is supporting the bedroom tax. He is making cuts across Bolton which are harming our community.

"We have called for a no-eviction policy but you have not allowed democracy to prevail and you have ignored our petition."

The group took down the "eviction notice" from Cllr Morris' garage door before they stopped their protest.

The Bolton News tried to contact Cllr Morris and other senior councillors before we went to press last night, but none was available for comment.