A WORRIED mum has petitioned councillors over nightlife safety in Bolton town centre.

Naomi Green, 47, created a petition to open a dialogue with the council over safety concerns surrounding Bolton’s nightlife.

Her main concerns were that there wasn’t enough being done to protect youngsters on nights out, and that what is in place needs to be more visible.

Her passion comes from a spate of incidents which have taken place in the town centre involving drinks spiking, rapes, and youngsters getting in unmarked taxis.

As the mum of a 15-year-old, she fears it won’t be safe enough when her daughter is old enough to go out, and that her 27-year-old isn’t as safe now.

Miss Green said: “It’s an exciting time for them, but how can we make sure they are safe getting in taxis? And when did it become unsafe to go out in the town centre at night?”

Miss Green shared her memories of going out in Bolton and the change she has seen.

She said she remembers taxi ranks being nearby, as well as people handing flyers out, and a free bus that used to take youngsters to other parts of town.

She added: “I grew up in Bolton in my youth through to adulthood, and it is a changing world, but I felt there was a community then.

“Now there isn’t a taxi rank near the areas young people go out, or as much of a police presence.

“I just want to know youngsters are safe, because some of the abandoned clubs near Churchgate attract the wrong crowd.

“I know there is a funding issue in Bolton, but there needs to be something visible if it’s already in place.

“I just want to open a dialogue with the council, businesses, bar managers and licence holders, taxi companies and security firms and police, as a parent, member of the public, and Boltonian.”

Through the petition Miss Green also wanted to see if other parents felt the same, in order to present the issue to the council.

The petition already has around 120 signatures, after only being set up last Saturday.

Cllr Mudasir Dean, stronger communities cabinet member, said: “We are aware of a number of recent incidents in Bolton town centre and fully understand the concerns raised in this petition.

“As a council, we’d be happy to speak with the organiser of the petition to discuss this matter in more detail.

“The safety of the night time economy is the joint responsibility of Greater Manchester Police, business owners and the council, and we work closely together to address this issue.

“We have promoted a number of campaigns through the Best Bar None scheme including ‘Ask for Angela’, ‘Get Home Safe’ and anti-spiking initiatives.

“Taxi marshals operate every weekend and we recently provided training to many town centre venues on safety and crime prevention.

“We take public safety extremely seriously and, alongside these existing initiatives, the partnership is exploring additional measures so everyone can enjoy the night time economy with confidence.

“No-one should fear for their safety on a night out and we continue to work together to make Bolton as safe as possible.”

The council is now in the process of arranging a discussion with Miss Green.

The petition can be found here.