CELEBRITY twitcher Bill Oddie opened Halton's new country park - on a former chemical dump.

Wigg Island, in the shadow of the Widnes Runcorn bridge, is set to become a big wildlife haven.

A former industrial site, it was once used to manufacture sulphuric acid and mustard gas.

It was closed to the public in the mid 1990s because of health and safety concerns about underlying chemical contamination.

Now, thanks to ground breaking land reclamation techniques, the area could soon become a major tourist attraction.

Bill, one of Britain's best known natural history experts, led local schoolchildren on nature walks through the new reserve.

Pupils from St Augustine's, St Edward's and The Grange, planted some native species of bluebells.

Wigg Island is situated beside Astmoor, sandwiched between the Mersey estuary and the Manchester Ship Canal. It is a 20 hectare site, flanked by salt marsh.

Since Halton Council bought the land in 1998, a major programme of remediation has been carried out.

An area for model aircraft flying, bird hides, network of footpaths, a cycleway, car park and tree planting are already open.

A small visitor centre, public toilets and more recreational facilities are among future plans.