The threat of industrial action at the Bolton Evening News has been lifted, with union members there accepting a pay deal over later shifts "in principle".

National Union of Journalists members say staff who are required to work until 11.30pm will receive an additional payment of between £500 and £1,000 per year, depending on what job they do.

Staff working past 9pm had previously received a £10 late allowance per shift.

This had led to calls for the payments to be doubled, and union members voted for a boycott of the new later shifts - introduced when the Bolton paper began printing overnight.

Now Bolton and Bury NUJ father of chapel David Thomson has told HoldtheFrontPage that members have accepted the company's latest offer "in principle", pending some clarification and fine-tuning over the number of shifts people will have to work.

He said: "We feel it is a pretty good deal and is better than the original offer.

"I think the threat of industrial action has played a part in brokering a deal and that it was worthwhile going down that route."

Bolton Evening News editor Steve Hughes declined to comment.