A COUPLE are leading the green revolution by becoming the first family in the borough to get permission for their very own wind turbine.

Alan and Janet Turner, of Moorside Road, said they hoped to save 30 per cent of their electricity usage - and hundreds of pounds in bills a year - when the turbine goes up at their home later this summer.

The Turners, of Moorside Road in Tottington, who are both retired, say they hope others will follow in their footsteps.

And Bury Council green campaigners have become the first to do so - they too have got official permission to erect the same model at their energy showhouse in Willows Lane, Bury.

That turbine is also expected to go up this summer to serve as an example to visiting homeowners of how they can save cash by thinking green.Consumer website What Price said a family living in a three-bedroomed semi-detached house spends £720 a year on electricity, so they could save up to £240 annually by installing a wind turbine.

The Turners' turbine is to be fixed to a gable wall and the blades will sweep a diameter of 1.75m (5ft 7in). It cost the couple £1,500, though a Government grant covered one-third of the cost. The turbines are available at DIY shops like B&Q. Savings on electricity bills would mean a turbine would pay for itself in as little as seven years. Mrs Turner said: "We are thrilled that we have been given permission to put up this turbine. It is not so much the financial saving that drew us to it, but the green argument.

"We live in a very exposed part of the borough so we are prone to a lot of wind, which will keep the turbine going around the clock, we hope.

"We have been told that the energy must be used as soon as it is generated, but we will try to do things like put on the washing machine overnight to make best use of it."

She added: "In the past, we have looked into solar panels, but they were very expensive and didn't produce good savings. We are looking forward to putting up the turbine and hope that other people are inspired to do it on their own home."

Bury Council planning control committee granted the Turners and the energy show home permission for the turbines but said the manufacturer, Windsave, must provide it with a report on the noise the turbines will make before they are assembled. Those reports are expected in the next few weeks.