CALLS have been made for the roads around the 1,700-home Horwich Loco Works regeneration to be named after former employees who died in both world wars.

Work on the Rivington Chase scheme at the former railway construction site is due to start soon after the plans for the first 112 homes by Bellway were approved in November.

And Horwich First Community Group has renewed its call to name each street, road, close, way and avenue after fallen soldiers who worked on the historic site.

A spokesman from the group said: "122 former Loco Works employees names are etched into the Loco Works War Memorial, which has stood at the main entrance for nearly 100 years.

"Next year will the 100-year anniversary of the end of the First World War, which will coincide with the building of the very first homes on this site by Bellway Homes.

"We feel it would be a wonderful gesture to see a continuation of this connection between those Loco Works employees, who made the ultimate sacrifice, by creating a lasting memorial between both our existing community and those that will shortly arrive to take up residence on the former Loco Works site."

The idea was originally brought up two years ago, around the time when the plans for the site went to Bolton Council.

Horwich First Community Group member Craig Rotheram, whose grandfather Duncan Stewart worked at the Loco Works and served with the Royal Marines during the Second World War, said: "We still have many families living in Horwich whose fathers, grandfathers, brothers and uncles' names appear on this war memorial which makes the connection even more poignant.

"Horwich First Community Group initially proposed this tribute when the Loco Works was given outlining planning permission in 2015."

He said that the council's officers were 'generally supportive' of the idea at the time, as it was in keeping with the authority's policy of reflecting local history in street names.

Mr Rotheram added: "We hope that support still remains and the names of our fallen heroes will adorn all the streets on Rivington Chase."