LEGAL difficulties have delayed town hall chiefs from making a decision on whether to stop motorists in Bolton advertising their cars for sale in the street.

Cllr John Rothwell, Bolton Council's executive member for social inclusion and community safety, was due to rule over a plan on Wednesday which would make it illegal to place "For Sale" signs in the windows of cars parked on the road.

But he has asked for more debate on the issue after being told by council officers that the legal definition of "a street" was not sufficient to make such a ruling.

Cllr Rothwell also said he was looking into ways of making such a policy work against businesses operating from the roadside, rather than affect people looking for a one-off sale.

He added: "We want to make sure that any rule is watertight before we go any further."

The Local Government Act defines a street as "any road, footway, beach or other area to which the public have access without payment".

Senior council officers fear this would not be sufficient to prohibit the practice in Bolton.

Council leaders want to cut down on the numbers of cars left on Bolton's streets to attract buyers.

A campaign has been launched by Liberal Democrat Cllr James Gilfillan who believes the practice is making some roads hazardous.

Currently, enforcement officers tolerate cars for sale left on the roadside because their policy is to grant permits to anyone who applies for one.

If Cllr Rothwell changes the policy on issuing permits, people could be forbidden from putting signs in their cars when parked on the road, although it would not prevent them doing so on private property.