A VISIT to a factory which was once an industrial landmark in Bolton was a bitter-sweet experience for an MP who used to work there.

Bolton North-east MP David Crausby was taken on a tour of the former Sandusky Walmsley factory in Crompton Way, where he worked for more than 20 years before joining Parliament in 1997.

Sandusky Walmsley closed in October last year, with 170 job losses.

In January, Italian company PMT Italia took a five-year lease on the foundry in the factory, and 60 jobs were created.

But the foundry is only a small part of the factory, and the rest of the building lies dormant, with stripped-down machinery sitting idle or awaiting the scrap merchant.

However, there is hope of a more productive future.

Developer B&E Boys, of Rossendale, is creating an industrial "mini village" -known as the the Waters Meeting development - on the 45 acres of land surrounding the factory, with the capacity for up to 1,000 jobs.

It is being developed over the next five years.

Mr Crausby said: "There were 1,500 people working here at its height and when you watched some of the huge castings taking place, it really was something to see. It was disappointing to see the factory in the state it is now.

"I have a lot of really good memories from 20 years here. The place also gave me a lot of opportunities and allowed me to put my children through university.

"There were some really highly skilled people here, and it wasn't always about the money, it was about having a pride in what you do, and the people who worked here had a pride in what they did."

But Mr Crausby said Bolton had to look forward, and welcomed the development of the site. He also praised B&E Boys for keeping the land for industrial use.

He said: "I lobbied the council to make sure that this land stayed zoned for industrial use, because that is what we need more of in Bolton.

"It is good that we attract residential developers, but we also need to create local jobs and this will do that. It is close to existing residential developments, so we could see Bolton people able to walk to work again in the years to come."

Mr Crausby said the development was a pivotal point in Bolton's regeneration.

"Bolton was part of the cradle of the Industrial Revolution, and like many places in Britain that were built on manufacturing, it has had a difficult few years, but plans like this, as well as some of the plans for Bolton town centre, make it clear that we have a town that is on the up again and looking to the future," he said.

"The times have certainly changed, and Bolton is changing with them. It is good to see."

B&E Boys director Peter Boys said: "This site will look very different in five years. It will be buzzing."

Phase One, consisting of six industrial units, has been completed and all have been taken.

Work is about to start on Phase Two, which will provide 50,000 sq ft of industrial workspace in four units.

Phase three includes 4,000 sq ft of offices, also under construction, for national quantity surveyors Deacon and Jones.

And in Phase Four, a technology park comprising five blocks of offices, including smaller units, will be built.

Mr Boys said he believed it would make an attractive location for a large distribution hub, offering more than 500,000 sq ft of warehouse space.