RESIDENTS say they are becoming increasingly concerned after a burnt out car and a safe were dumped at Leverhulme Park.

Police were called out by the fire service just after 5:40am on Tuesday morning to reports that a car, believed to be a Fiat 500, had been set on fire on Long Lane.

A damaged safe was also spotted next to the car, but it is unclear whether the two incidents are related.

Another safe was found cut open in the park in late August but police said that it could have been there for a while, making it difficult for the forensic team to obtain evidence.

Cllr Adele Warren said that residents in her ward regularly report similar incidents to her.

She said: “I think sometimes there is a perception of an increase in crime especially with social media. It’s important that people do report things.”

Cllr Warren added: “There have been a few incidents across Bolton that I believe a lot of residents are concerned about at the moment. If anyone can come forward to help that would be appreciated. It really does assist the police.”

A total of 422 individual crimes were recorded in the Breightmet area during June and July, most of which were violence or sexual offences.

This is only a marginal increase compared with the same months in 2017 when crimes recorded in August totalled 220.

The Breightmet ward councillor reminded residents that they can use the Greater Manchester Police live web chat service to report incidents if they are unable to speak to anyone on 101.