ALMOST 200 Westhoughton shoppers have joined the campaign to try to save their police station from closure.

Hulton Park Conservatives, who are opposing the Greater Manchester Police proposal, spent Saturday collecting signatures for campaign letters to be sent to the police authority.

Copies of the letter are also available for protesters to sign at sub-post offices and newsagents in Westhoughton and Chew Moor.

The authority has included closure of the Wigan Road station as part of a radical re-organisation county-wide.

The Westhoughton station would be replaced by a counter, possibly situated in Market Street, for routine enquiries.

A new police station would be built at the Middlebrook development in Horwich.

One of the signature collectors, Dylis Barry, said they could have collected many more if they had had more clipboards.

"People see the loss of the police station as a demolition of the small town atmosphere," said Mrs Barry.

The Tories are also hoping to soon turn their attention to fighting the proposed closure of the Horwich police station.

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