TWO schools were not informed of the toxic dangers of neighbouring land for four days after the problem was identified, it has been revealed.

Bolton Council's commercial services department admitted it was slow to hand out information. And the Environment Agency has also said it, too, was left in the dark about the danger on the contaminated land at Potter's Hill, off Hall Lane, Little Lever.

Today a Council spokesman admitted: "We should have communicated with the schools more quickly."

Dangerous chemicals were traced on the land which neighbours Little Lever Secondary School and the nearby Bowness Primary School.

Bowness CP School governor Sean Hornby, who has also been recently appointed as a governor at Little Lever Secondary school, said staff had been left in a "very difficult position."

He added: "This is unacceptable and we are very annoyed. We are very concerned that parents, and their children who play in the area, were not notified.

"How dare they not properly inform the public and in particular the two schools involved."

Mr Hornby immediately contacted Donald Grime, Bolton Council's executive member for environment, when he heard about the risk.

He was told that the Council had been warned by Cllr Grime to inform the public last week.

Cllr Grime confirmed this when contacted, but declined to comment further.

Parents of pupils have now been told of the poisonous substances, including chromium and arsenic, which have seeped to the surface on the site of a former chemical works.

It was once the site of Edmund Potter's Chemical Works which produced chromium salt compounds for industry from imported chromite ore.

Chromium is not thought to be dangerous in low doses and it occurs naturally in the body.

But it can cause lung cancer and serious skin problems in high doses.

The factory operated from the 1880s to 1968 and its by-products were tipped onto the site in heaps throughout this time.

The chromium has since seeped the surface along with nickel, zinc, arsenic, lead and copper.

Eco-watchdog the Environment Agency said it had not been notified of the problem either -- even though the chemicals could potentially contaminate the nearby River Croal and Blackshaw Brook.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said, under the circumstances, they "would have expected to be informed."

She added: "Currently the Agency holds very little information on the site but we are in the process of liaising with Bolton Council.

"We will be discussing the potential impacts to controlled waters, the nearby surface waters in particular, from the historic disposal of wastes in this area." Deputy mayor Cllr John Walsh also said that he had received no official notification of the problem, which he said had been described as "hazardous, but not life threatening." He said: "I think it would have been helpful if, instead of letting stories circulate, there had been a positive response or press release from the council. "They should have made it clear to all concerned and written to the schools properly to notify them officially."

A spokeswoman for Bolton Council said that there had been "issues regarding the way in which the work at Potter's Hill were communicated."

She added: "Our efforts are now being out into addressing these issues, particularly in advising the two schools and the parents of the pupils about the nature of the work being carried out.

"The council have met with a number of agencies in advance of the work starting to ensure that it is carried out in a manner that is safe to the public and to the contractor.

"We will identify what lessons need to be learnt in order to make sure that appropriate communication is carried out for the future."