WHEN Judge William Morris is made the Honorary Recorder for Bolton on Wednesday he will be carrying on a proud family tradition.

The Lostock-born lawyer, who has been administering justice Bolton for the past nine years, is to be honoured by the Mayor of Bolton in recognition of his service to the town.

Judge Morris, aged 61, was made the town's most senior judge in 2002, but his new title - The Honorary Recorder for Bolton - is something he is particularly proud of.

For he is the son of Sir William Morris who was The Recorder of Liverpool from 1966 to 1967 and The Recorder of Manchester from 1971 until 1977.

"There was a bit of a family tradition," said Judge Morris, whose father passed away in 1984.

"I am immensely proud. It's a great honour and I think it also reflects on the court itself and everybody who works here."

Educated at Ampleforth College in Yorkshire, the young William Morris decided to follow in the footsteps of his father and his uncle Cyril Morris - who set up the well-known Bolton solicitors Cyril Morris Arkwright and Co.

He went to Gonville and Caius College in Cambridge in 1965 and obtained a degree in Law and Fine Arts.

The future Recorder was called to the bar in 1970 and joined St John Street Chambers in Manchester where he was a barrister until 1984. He then began to sit as a part-time judge before being made a full-time circuit judge in 1995.

He said: "It is a great privilege to sit as a judge in your own home town."

Judge Morris said he is proud of the way Bolton has developed over the years, but spoke of worries about the scourge of Class A drugs: "I think that Bolton reflects the social problems of the whole country. However, a particular problem causes me and all the judges here enormous concern, and that is class A drugs.

"Heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine; if I had a magic wand and I could eliminate those three at a stroke that would probably, at a guess, halve crimes of dishonesty dealt with in this court. Perhaps slightly more. There would also be an impact on crimes of violence and organised crime.

"It's an absolute curse because I see what it does, not just to the victims of crime, but to the families of the addicts who have to cope with people who are often quite out of control. We see many instances of enormous personal tragedies, for the families and for the addicts themselves."

He said the drugs trade has a knock-on affect through the town but that he believed the police force in Bolton was doing an excellent job.

As a judge, Mr Morris would not be drawn on the "political issues" of prison overcrowding and sentences, and said it was his role to apply the "proper standards and impose the proper sentence."

"With the passing years you gain experience and you always hope a little bit of wisdom," he said.

"There are obviously days when it is more difficult than others, there are particularly demanding cases and such cases are not always easy but that is the nature of the job. It's sometimes a tough job and you make tough decisions."

He said it was good to remember the "personal aspect" of crime and the person it has affected.

At tomorrow's ceremony, Judge Morris will be joined by his wife, Baroness Patricia Morris of Bolton OBE, who was formerly the vice chairman of the Conservative Party and is currently the shadow minister for Children, Schools and Families in the House of Lords.

His two children Jonathan and Katherine, aged 24 and 22 respectively, and his mother Lady Morris, aged 93, will also be there.

Judge Morris, who counts fishing, gardening and walking among his hobbies, said he was very happy with the way his career had developed.

"I'm very content. It is a marvellous position to have here in Bolton," he said.

And as a lifelong Wanderers fan, who remembers watching Nat Lofthouse when he was eight-years-old, he is keeping his fingers crossed for his beloved Whites.

A season ticket holder, who stuck with the team and went to away matches when they were struggling in Division Four, Judge Morris said: "I went to Munich with my son. I was a great night. Davies scored the equaliser and that was one of those magic moments."

Judge Morris will be officially made the Honorary Recorder for Bolton by the Mayor of Bolton, Cllr Barbara Ronson, at the Town Hall tomorrow at 6.30pm.