THE UPS and downs of civic life at Bury Town Hall can now be experienced by more disabled people.

A new lift has been installed to improve access for people with mobility problems.

The eight-person capacity lift will run in tandem with the original which was considered too small to cope with demand on its own.

Bury Council's disability spokesman, Councillor Gordon Sharkey, said: "Because of the age and design of many of our civic buildings, access is difficult for disabled people.

"Bury Town Hall is by far the most used and visited of those buildings, especially in its capacity as a committee and Council meeting place. Therefore, having been able to find the necessary funding, we felt that this is where we should try and concentrate our efforts, for the time being, to improve access."

He added: "Hopefully this new lift will make a real difference and encourage more people with mobility problems to make use of the building and participate in local government."

The new lift can be accessed from the public corridor on the ground floor, adjacent to the disabled toilets.

It features all the latest facilities for people with disabilities, including low height and illuminated control buttons with tactile and Braille markings, a bright floor level display, voice synthesiser and two-way voice link to the emergency control room.