Bolton Council plans driving crackdown cameras in Westhoughton 2026

Key Points

• Bolton Council is planning to extend its anti-social driving camera project to Westhoughton town after successfully implementing it in other areas of the borough.
• The project will target the top ten persistent speeders in the town with their information being forwarded to Greater Manchester Police (GMP) who will engage them through letter writing or visiting them at their homes.
• According to council figures, more than 80 percent of those being targeted will change their behavior as a result of interaction with the police.
• Currently, there are existing schemes in place in Rumworth ward, A58 Ring Road, Ladybridge estate, and Bromley Cross with another expansion plan for Rumworth.
• Deputy director of highways and planning, Dwayne Lowe from Bolton Council said that they had agreed to work with GMP to extend this scheme in Westhoughton although no cameras had been set up yet.
• Funding from Transport for Greater Manchester has been promised to expand the technology.
• The scheme has been welcomed by councillors as a “game changer” although there is a concern that drivers will take alternative routes to avoid the cameras.

Bolton (Manchester Mirror) August 29, 2026 – New cameras targeting persistent speeders and anti-social drivers are being planned for Westhoughton, following the success of a similar scheme in other parts of uk/local/bolton/">Bolton, as reported by Infrastructure Now. Bolton Council is expanding its anti-social driving project, which identifies the ten most persistent speeders in an area before passing their details to Greater Manchester Police, according to The Bolton News. Drivers are then contacted either by letter or through a police home visit, with the council saying more than 80 per cent of those targeted subsequently change their behaviour. Schemes are already operating in the Rumworth ward, on the A58 Ring Road, Ladybridge Estate and in Bromley Cross, and the council is now looking to expand the existing operation in Rumworth and introduce a new scheme in Westhoughton.

What are the Westhoughton anti-social driving cameras and how will they work?

Dwayne Lowe, deputy director of highways and planning at Bolton Council, confirmed an agreement had been reached with GMP for the expansion into Westhoughton, although the exact locations where cameras will operate have not yet been confirmed, as reported by The Bolton News. Speaking at the Place Scrutiny Committee on August 18, he said: “We would love to expand them more, but need to be aware of GMP resources. There has been an agreement made with GMP for the expansion, but I’m not sure where the exact expansion is.” Mr Lowe described the anti-social driving camera technology as a “game changer” for the council and its work with police.

The cameras capture vehicle registration plates, with collision statistics and intelligence from police used to help determine where they should be deployed. Mr Lowe said: “We carry statistics so we know the roads where there have been incidents, and we have intelligence from police colleagues. Not every road is suitable unfortunately. We are keen to roll them out as much as possible.” The anti-social driving project has been operating for almost three years and is run collaboratively by the council, its camera and data supplier and GMP. Once the ten most persistent speeders in an area are identified, their details are passed to police for intervention. Mr Lowe said: “Once we’ve captured the top ten offenders in an area, we pass details to GMP who commit to knocking on the door. Eight out of ten of those offenders started to drive under the speed limit after that visit.” Transport for Greater Manchester has also made a commitment to funding the work as the council looks to expand the use of the technology.

Where are similar anti-social driving schemes already operating in Bolton?

Schemes are already operating in the Rumworth ward, on the A58 Ring Road, Ladybridge Estate and in Bromley Cross, as reported by The Bolton News. Councillors said the existing scheme in the Rumworth ward, which includes St Helens Road and Deane Road, where there have been a number of crashes, had already resulted in changes in motorists’ behaviour. Cllr Ayyub Patel said: “One fatality on our roads is one too many. Residents feel very strongly about road safety. The behaviour cameras you mentioned were piloted in my ward, Rumworth, and we have seen a behavioural change. More needs to be done and any work to improve road safety is welcomed.”

At a recent Bolton Council meeting, it was heard how an anti-social driving scheme targeting the 10 most persistent speeders in several areas has already cut speeding by those drivers by 80 per cent, as reported by The Bolton News. The anti-social driving scheme has been in operation in the Rumworth ward, which includes areas like Deane and Daubhill, as well as the A58 ring road, Ladybridge and Bromley Cross. As part of the scheme, each of the 10 persistently worst drivers in these areas is targeted by a letter or a home visit from Greater Manchester Police. It is now expected to expand onto additional routes in Rumworth and other areas of Bolton in response to resident reports and community-identified hotspots.

What concerns have councillors raised about camera locations and enforcement?

However, concerns were raised that some motorists have learned where cameras are positioned and are changing their routes to avoid being detected, as reported by The Bolton News. Cllr Ismail Ibrahim said the ward continued to have its “fair share of problems”, referring to two accidents in the area recently. He said: “It’s important to get locations correct because some of these drivers know where these locations are and purposely change routes to avoid recognition. I know it changes driving behaviour. People who know where these cameras are situated divert and we’re displacing the problem, so that would need to be taken into consideration.”

Cllr Ibrahim had previously asked the council if ANPR cameras and other technology to try and identify persistent speeders and detect the use of ghost plates could be brought to roads in his area, suggesting roads like Higher Swan Lane and Bridgeman Street through to High Street. He said: “Rumworth has and continues to have its fair share of problems; we had two crashes last weekend, and it’s just continuous.” Cllr Ibrahim said the area also includes many of Bolton’s key radial routes, which he said heightened the need for cameras like these. In response, council assistant director of highways and engineering Dwayne Lowe said he hoped the scheme could be expanded, but this would depend on police resources. He said he hoped to be able to share with councillors where the scheme could be expanded to soon.

What other road safety and anti-social driving issues are being addressed in Bolton?

This comes after recent talks on the ‘Vision Zero’ vision, which aims to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries on Greater Manchester’s roads by 2040, as reported by The Bolton News. But dangers like drug driving, and particularly the use of nitrous oxide, also known as ‘laughing gas’, were also raised as key concerns. Cllr Ayyub Patel, of Rumworth, said: “Residents across Rumworth keep telling me they want safer streets, and I’m determined to make sure their concerns are heard at every level. I will continue pushing for stronger enforcement, better data, and more investment until our roads are safer for everyone, parents walking children to school, elderly residents crossing busy roads, cyclists, pedestrians, and families living near speeding hotspots.”

Cllr Patel has said that various risks persist in his area, including the use of nitrous oxide, with canisters then dumped by drivers, which has been “reaching epidemic proportions”, posing risks for other road users and pedestrians. In response, he and other members of the council’s place scrutiny committee called for a new joint strategy between Bolton Council and Greater Manchester Police to tackle the issue. Cllr Patel said drug driving has also been a rising danger and has pressed for targeted interventions to protect young people, families, and vulnerable road users. He has also encouraged residents to support Greater Manchester Police’s Operation Snap, which has created an online portal for people to share dashcam footage of dangerous drivers.

Background to the anti-social driving camera development in Westhoughton

The anti-social driving camera scheme in Bolton has been operating for almost three years, run collaboratively by the council, its camera and data supplier and Greater Manchester Police. The initiative was initially piloted in the Rumworth ward and has since been extended to the A58 Ring Road, Ladybridge Estate and Bromley Cross. The technology uses automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) to capture vehicle registration plates, with deployment locations informed by collision statistics and police intelligence. The council reports that more than 80 per cent of the ten most persistent speeders identified in each area change their behaviour after being contacted by police, either by letter or through a home visit. Transport for Greater Manchester has committed funding to support the expansion of the scheme, which is aligned with the wider ‘Vision Zero’ ambition to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries on Greater Manchester’s roads by 2040.

Prediction: how will Westhoughton anti-social driving cameras affect local residents and drivers?

The introduction of anti-social driving cameras in Westhoughton is likely to have a measurable impact on local road safety and driver behaviour, particularly among the most persistent speeders. Based on the experience in Rumworth and other areas, residents can expect a reduction in speeding-related incidents and a greater sense of security on key routes, provided camera locations are chosen to minimise displacement of problem driving to adjacent streets. For drivers, the scheme introduces a clear deterrent: being identified as one of the top ten offenders in an area will trigger direct police intervention, which has proven effective in changing behaviour for eight out of ten cases. However, the success of the initiative will depend on continued collaboration between Bolton Council and GMP, adequate resourcing for police follow-up, and careful selection of camera sites to avoid simply shifting anti-social driving to nearby roads without cameras.