ARMED police surrounded a Bolton court when two men appeared charged in connection with a car bomb.

Stanley Curry, aged 46, of Liverpool, and William Shaw, aged 35, of Northern Ireland, appeared at Bolton Magistrates Court amid tight security inside and outside the building.

Six armed officers were based inside Court One and six more outside the courtroom, along with a sniffer dog. Anyone entering the court on Saturday morning was searched.

Curry and Shaw are charged with conspiring to cause an explosion with intent to endanger life following the discovery of a car bomb in Windsor Road, Halliwell, on December 17 last year. The men appeared in the dock flanked by four uniformed police officers.

Wearing jeans, white trainers and a blue tracksuit top, white-haired Curry nodded to confirm his name and told the court his date of birth.

Shaw, who wore a green jacket, dark trousers and a dark top, did the same. Their addresses were not read out in court. Instead, the defendants confirmed that addresses handed to the court were their own.

The pair were remanded in custody until Thursday, April 22, when they will appear at Bolton Crown Court. A third man arrested with the pair on Thursday was released on bail pending further inquiries.