BOLTON Museum is to become only the fifth venue in the world to display African tools nearly two million years old.

The stone objects form part of the British Museum touring exhibition, "Made In Africa", which will arrive in Bolton in March - its only stop in the North-west.

They include a chopping tool and two hand axes discovered by fossil hunter Louis Leakey at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, during an expedition in 1931.

Since then, they have been displayed occasionally at the British Museum in London and have also been to San Francisco, Newcastle and Norwich.

The exhibition, which will last from March 9 to April 28, will also call at Andover and Fareham in Hampshire and Torquay.

The stone tools show one of man's first technological inventions and back up the theory that human life began in Africa.

As well as hosting the exhibition, Bolton Museum will have talks and handling sessions to give people a chance to get close to the exhibits.

The sessions will be run every Saturday throughout the duration of the exhibition.

Cllr Ismail Ibrahim, Bolton Council's Executive Member for Culture and Community Services, said: "We are fortunate to have the chance to host this exhibition.

"It's impossible to over-estimate how important these tools are to understanding our origins and man's early endeavours. To handle them too is a fantastic opportunity."

Museum curator David Craven said: "We have been working on getting this exhibition for 18 months. Even at the British Museum it has only come out occasionally, so this is a real coup."

Opening times are Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm. For more information, call the museum on 01204 332211 or visit www.boltonmusems.org.uk