DESPITE being twinned with four towns in Europe and America, Warrington residents could be forgiven for thinking links had only been forged with two.

While school children and dignitaries from Hilden in Germany and Nachod in the Czech Republic have travelled to Warrington on numerous occasions since forming twinning partnerships, representatives from Zugdidi, in Georgia, Russia, and Lake County in Illinois have been more difficult to spot.

The borough council website makes no reference to any of the four twin towns and only manages to come up with a link to Warrington Twins Club when asked for information about the twinning partnerships.

Yet on road signs coming into Warrington, it states we are linked to four towns.

Bob Williams, the council's head of communications, said: "We currently have active twinning links with Hilden and Nachod.

"Previous links with both Zugdidi and Lake County are no longer active.

"Due to the situation in Georgia at the time, the civic links, which existed for only a brief time, were not maintained.

"Our link with Lake County was primarily a business link and this has not been productive, in terms of economic development, for either town and so was not continued."

John Taylor, who lives in Lower Walton, is chairman of Warrington Hilden Fellowship and two years ago he was presented with the Hilden Coat of Arms and the Fabrizius medal for his "outstanding service to Hilden and its townspeople".

He says he is keen to develop links with all four of Warrington's twin towns.