POLICE have one law for the rich and another for the poor, claims a Bolton transport chief.

Traffic cops back residents in wealthy areas who do not want strangers parking near their expensive homes, says Cllr Guy Harkin.

But, he claims, they refuse to do anything when people in poorer areas of mainly terraced housing complain about the same thing.

However, top police officers strongly deny the charge and have invited Cllr Harkin to discuss his comments which were sparked by the long running situation at Lostock railway station.

Angry commuters have been given tickets or warned about causing an obstruction on Regent Road.

"It's ludicrous, they are being booked simply because they are parking near large, expensive detached houses," stormed Cllr Harkin, vice chairman of the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority.

"There are no double yellow lines but people think that just because they have paid £200,000 for a house, no-one should be allowed to park there. It would not happen in poorer areas."

Cllr Harkin claimed he gave up taking up complaints from residents in his Daubhill ward years ago because police always told him nothing could be done unless waiting restrictions were introduced.

He added: "People in Daubhill routinely have cars parked outside their houses and the police never book them.

"If it's an obstruction in Regent Road why isn't it an obstruction in Hooten Street? It's one law for the well-heeled suburb of Lostock and another for places like Daubhill."

But Chief Supt Mel Pelham strongly denied Cllr Harkin's claims and said the deputy leader of Bolton Council should take up any traffic problems in his ward with police officers.

.He said: "We respond to concerns raised by the public throughout the borough and not just in areas of high value property."

And Sgt Barry Fairclough invited Cllr Harkin to come and see for himself how the traffic unit works.

He said: "The argument that we have one law for the rich and another for the poor is an absolute non-starter and questions our professionalism. Individual officers have an element of discretion but we always deal with problems in a professional manner."

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