work to clean up land which was sealed off and branded a health risk in a poison waste scare will be completed in a fortnight.

Dangerous substances, including chromium and arsenic, seeped to the surface on the site of the former Edmund Potter Chemical Works on the outskirts of Little Lever.

The land at Potter's Hill, off Hall Lane, was reclaimed in 1968 by Bolton Council

It has been used by children at Little Lever Secondary and Bowness County Primary schools and is also popular with dog walkers.

But the ground remained riddled with toxic pollution.

It was discovered in January that substances had again seeped to the surface -- for the first trime in nine years --and the area was sealed off.

Toxic tests have now been completed on large areas of the site. The results have not been revealed, but Bolton Council says the land will be closely monitored in the future.

Drainage improvement work is also due to carried out around one of the tennis courts to the west of Little Lever Secondary School, near the border with Moses Gate Country Park. Drainage work will also be carried out in the country park.

The Edmund Potter factory had produced chromium salt compounds from imported chromite ore since the 1880s. Waste was spread over the site and covered by a layer of stone, topsoil and grass.

The chromium subsequently seeped to the surface, along with nickel, zinc, arsenic, lead and copper.

Chromium occurs naturally in the body, but can cause lung and skin problems in high doses.

A Bolton Council spokesman said: "Remedial work ito address the long-standing issue of localised contamination leaching to the surface should take a further two weeks to complete.

"Bolton Council will continue to work with all relevant agencies to manage and monitor this area of land in the future.

"The Council has also carried out water and soil sampling on certain areas of the site which includes Little Lever Secondary School. The results will assist in the on-going process of managing the site.

"As part of this process it intends to carry out drainage improvement work around one of the tennis courts located to the west of the school close to the Country Park."