WESTY Park remains closed for football and rugby matches - but experts believe they are closer to finding out what was dumped on the land.

Borough council and Environment Agency bosses grew worried about possible pollution of the park in 2001.

Now they have completed the first phase of a review aimed at finding out what might have been tipped there in the past and what the possible pollutants were.

Gwen Scott, the Environment Agency's environment manager for Cheshire, said: "Now we have completed the first stage of our environmental assessment of Westy Park we are on our way to establishing how the site has been affected by its former use as a waste disposal facility.

"We are in discussions with the council to identify what the next stages of works should include."

Phil Woods, the environmental protection manager for Warrington Borough Council, said: "We recognise the importance of the park to the community and we are keen to address any environmental issues associated with its former use as quickly as possible.

"While, the strict legal process that we are obliged to follow has taken some time, we are confident that the study that we are now undertaking with the Environment Agency will give us the information we need to move forward."

The council has confirmed that the park remains open for walking and recreation but is closed for football, rugby and other non-essential activities.

Experts will be available to discuss the findings of the report at Westy Community Centre on Friday between 4.30pm and 7pm.