CONSERVATIVE, UKIP and Farnworth and Kearsley First councillors walked out of Wednesday night's full council meeting.

Around 50 minutes into the meeting, the leader of Bolton Conservatives Cllr David Greenhalgh interrupted a question about district centres from Labour councillor Cllr Stephen Pickup to the Deputy Leader Cllr Ebrahim Adia.

He said: "This is an abuse of questions.

"This is simply timewasting to not allow us to get to motions.

"My group will have no part in it."

All the Conservative councillors left the council chamber, along with UKIP and Farnworth and Kearsley First councillors.

Labour, Liberal Democrats and the independent councillors stayed.

Several comments were made by Labour councillors after the walkout with Cllr Jean Gillies saying she was "shocked" that Farnworth and Kearsley First in particular walked out before a question about the regeneration of Farnworth town centre.

Just after 8.30pm, the councillors returned into the council chamber after being absent for around 40 minutes.

The Mayor of Bolton, Cllr Elaine Sherrington said: "I felt that what you did to me tonight, without actually telling me you were going to do it, was very disrespectful."

Taking to social media to elaborate on their reasons for leaving, Farnworth and Kearsley First councillor Cllr Paul Sanders said: "In light of Bolton Labour Party's swamping of the Council meeting agenda and wasting time by asking each other self-promoting questions - and funnily enough each question being asked are by Labour councillors up for re-election in May.

"Wasting tax payers money and not allowing enough time for important Motions (including two by Farnworth and Kearsley First) to be heard. Farnworth and Kearsley First, UKIP and the Conservatives left the Council Chamber in protest."

UKIP councillor Cllr Sean Hornby also wrote: "Walk out of Council chamber by Conservative UKIP and Farnworth & Kearsley First due to what we feel is deliberate abuse of Council time."

Following the meeting, the Executive Cabinet Member for Environmental Services, Cllr Nick Peel said: "We're not just in the chamber to speak to each other, we're there to speak to the public.

"The Tories say it's about them holding us to account, but if that's the case why did they only put in two questions?"