BUSINESS partners behind the creation of a Widnes rail freight park which could bring thousands of jobs to Halton have met in London to celebrate the project's official launch.

The expanded 3MG Mersey Multimodal Gateway freight park, the result of a multi-agency partnership including distribution specialists AHC Warehousing, Drawbridge Securities, O'Connor Transport and Halton Borough Council, became fully operational last Tuesday.

The park, which has brought a new lease of life to contaminated land at Ditton, is said to be one of the biggest of its kind in the UK and is being hailed as a site of strategic importance in the region's freight distribution network.

The partnership claims that up to 5,000 jobs could be created for people in Widnes and Runcorn in areas ranging from warehousing to construction.

Its location means good rail access to seaports across the UK and benefits from motorway connections.

The scheme was launched at the Rail Freight Group Annual Conference in London with a ministerial address by Halton MP and under secretary of state for transport Derek Twigg.

Cllr Rob Polhill, Halton Borough Council's executive board member for planning, transportation, regeneration and renewal, said: 'This is a very exciting day as we are launching a project which will attract a huge amount of investment into the borough, creating jobs for local people.'