AN emergency evacuation plan for Bolton town centre is to be reviewed in the light of warnings from the Prime Minister of a "real and serious" terrorism threat to the UK.

A plan was first drawn up in 1997 to move tens of thousands of shopworkers, shoppers and office staff out of the town centre if there was any major threat.

Cllr Frank White, Bolton Council's executive member for community safety and social inclusion, said a seminar to re-evaluate the evacuation procedures would be held in January. It will be attended by the emergency services, the council, businesses and retailers.

The town centre is described as the area between St Peter's Way, Topp Way, Marsden Road and Trinity Street.

Cllr White said: "We do not want to seem alarmist, but we do not wish to appear complacent.

"The evacuation of the town centre is not strictly the responsibility of the council, but we do take this seriously as a prudent council.

"An evacuation plan was drawn up in 1997 by the local authority and the police.

"It has been reviewed and refined, but an all-out evacuation may not be the best way forward. We are now looking at a 'sectored' evacuation."

Emergency services had been unable to practise an all-out evcuation because of the huge scale of the task, he said.

Cllr White added that trials of the evacuation proceedure, with businesses and retailers taking part, may be held in the New Year.