A BOLTON councillor is to climb to the top of the Town Hall and bong the bell using a hammer to mark Britain's exit from the European Union tonight.

Hulton ward councillor Toby Hewitt will ascend the Town Hall's clock tower armed only with ear protection, a hard hat and a hammer to ring the bell at 11pm.

His adventurous task is to be undertaken because Bolton clock tower bells only chime until 10.30pm ­— meaning to mark the occasion, with as little expense as possible, Cllr Hewitt has elected to ensure the bells do not fail to ring by hitting them himself.

Councillor Hewitt is currently travelling back from a trip overseas but councillors have assured The Bolton News that he will be back in the town with plenty of time to spare before his daring escapade.

Tonight, Bolton Town Hall will also be lit up red, white and blue and the Union Flag has been flying from all civic buildings and flag poles across the borough to mark Brexit.

The Town Hall's Baroque clock tower reaches 198 feet in height and boasts bells cast by Warner & Sons of London who also provided the quarter hour bells for the Palace of Westminster.

The hour bell weighs in at just over 4 tons while the four quarter hour bells are 1.5 tons each.