PRIME Minister Boris Johnson heard the concerns of the hospitality industry in Bolton - minutes after his lockdown announcement last week.

Bolton North East MP Mark Logan hosted a roundtable discussion online for the trade, featuring Small Business Minister Paul Scully, ahead of the key address.

Twenty local firms, alongside council leader Cllr David Greenhalgh and Cllr Hilary Fairclough, were represented on the call.

The exchange saw business leaders ask for sufficient preparation time, before any reopenings, so stock would not be wasted. The debate also centred on planning laws to allow outdoor trading to continue unhindered.

Mr Logan was able to raise the concerns of Bolton enterprises in the Commons debate following the lockdown announcement, seeking assurances that the April 12 goal for outdoor trade reopening was feasible.

Mr Johnson said the date was a clear aspiration which the government was working towards.

The Bolton MP said he is determined to make the transition to outdoor trading “seamless” for those Bolton hospitality firms able to take advantage of this.