CONSERVATIVE leader Michael Howard dismissed the threat of the UK Independence Party and Robert Kilroy-Silk's Veritas group to the Conservative vote in Bolton.

UKIP and Veritas are contesting all three Bolton seats in the town.

Mr Howard said the Conservatives were the only option for voters if they wanted Britain to pull back from Europe.

Speaking exclusively to Bolton Evening News political correspondent Gareth Tidman, he said his party's views on crime, immigration and council tax would address many of the issues that most concern voters.

The Tory leader has been criticised for his tough stance on immigration, but he maintains a strict policy will help maintain stability.

Appealing for people to put a cross next to their Conservative candidate on their May 5 General Election ballot papers, Mr Howard said: "People can vote for Tony Blair and reward him for eight years of broken promises or vote for the Conservative Party which will give them cleaner hospitals, discipline in schools and lower taxes."

Mr Howard admitted that Anti-Social Behaviour Orders introduced by Labour would had have an impact on neighbourhood thuggery, but said more action was needed.

He said the Conservatives would make another 2,200 extra police officers available in Greater Manchester and strip them of the burden of "political correctness and paperwork" so they could spend more time keeping streets and homes safe.

He added: "We would introduce new penalties for families who constantly make the lives of their neighbours a misery.

"We would make them responsible for the behaviour of their children and give courts the power to tell a 15 or 16-year-old who committed offences that they would have to wait until they are 18 to apply for a driving licence.

"For serious misbehaviour, we would go so far as to withdraw housing benefit or lock parents up for the weekend."

He also promised his party's policies would put an end to the year-on-year above inflation increases in council tax that householders in Bolton were forced to pay.

He said every home where the adults are aged over 65 would receive a 50 per cent discount up to a limit of £500 under the Tories and that the council tax revaluation would be scraped.

He said: "Labour has used the council tax as one of their worst stealth taxes and if the revaluation were to take place they would take another £200 million out of people's pockets and use it to plug their black hole.

"We would also cut the level of burden imposed by Westminster bureaucrats so councils would find it much easier to keep the level of council tax to a more manageable level."

Mr Howard said his party's canvassers had received a warm welcome in Bolton and denied that controversies over the party's immigration policy had damaged his own popularity.

He said: "I believe the immigration system is in chaos and we need it brought back under control if we are to have good community relations and to manage our public services properly."

He said he would introduce an annual limit on the numbers coming into Britain, establish a British border control police and create 24 hour security at ports.