CAR wash bosses have been forced to change a tongue-in-cheek sign — after town hall officials complained about its double meaning.

In a bid to boost trade, managers at the Big Wash car wash put up a sign outside reading “The Best Hand Job in Bolton”.

Critics have said Bolton Council should “lighten up” — but town hall bosses told the firm, in Manchester Road, Burnden, that parents could be concerned about their teenage children reading the sign.

The council sent an officer to speak to the car wash’s owner Mark Powell on Wednesday — and he agreed to change the word “job” to “wash”.

Mr Powell said: “I never meant to offend anyone.

“It was only when the officer mentioned to me that teenagers might read it and their parents might be offended that it occurred to me that everyone might not like it.

“I got the idea from an American car wash advertisement on the internet and thought it might get people’s attention if I put it on a sign outside.

“We’ve been open for 10 years and employ 15 staff, but competition is fierce at the moment with many car wash firms in Bolton, so I wanted to do something a bit different to stand out.

“Before the officer came to see me, I was aware that a couple of people who work nearby had seen it and didn’t like it, but my thought was that anyone old enough to understand it wouldn’t be offended.

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“You see many television adverts featuring double entendres so I didn’t see a problem initially, but I was happy to change the sign.”

Liberal Democrat councillor Andrew Martin said the council should “lighten up”.

He added: “I think sometimes the council needs a sense humour.

“Surely they have got better things to do with their time.

“I think a lot of people driving to work in the morning will have a bit of a laugh about that as well.

“It’s not like there is anything pornographic in the window.”

A council spokesman said: “After an informal discussion between an officer and a representative of the company, they agreed to change the sign.”