TRAFFORD council has attempted to find a compromise to a furious row over access rights to Woodheys Park, by holding a special meeting behind closed doors.

Bernard Sheridan, Trafford's head of environmental services, invited three representatives from each side to the council's Carrington depot on Tuesday night.

It follows the protests of a group of Sale residents angry at the decision to spend £18,000 on metal fencing around the Green Flag Park. Dog owners say they have been particularly disrupted.

The decision means people can only gain access to the park through four pedestrian entrance gates while the park will shut as early as 4.30pm at some times during the winter.

The Friends of the Park say the decision was taken after a series of incidents including groups with rifles shooting at birds, gangs drinking in the woods and vandals spraying graffiti on the children's play area.

But a public meeting at the park's pavilion building, on October 12, held by the group to explain their decision ended in chaos with several members of the committee being abused by hecklers.

A spokesman for the friends' group told SAM they are teetering on the brink' following the meeting with many of the group upset with the way they were spoken to.

He said: "The Friends of the Park give up their time for free and over many years have worked very hard to improve the park for everybody.

"Any decision we make is not taken lightly - it involves hours of consultation and observation."

Meanwhile an interest group calling themselves The Protectors of the Path' say they want to reinstate access through Woodheys Woods via a footpath they claim has been in use for many generations.

The site was formerly used as farmland and is still known to some as Pinky Park' because pigs from a field across the brook frequently strayed into the park.

Spokeswoman Candace James said: "We are mixture of ramblers, dog walkers and parents who feel side-stepped by the decision making process of the fence installed around the woods.

"We are not interested in pointless and fruitless arguing with The Friends of Woodheys Park, and the council who as an organisation are doing an excellent job in fulfilling the overall vision for the park."

She added: "Our aim is to ask all those involved in putting up the fence to accurately look at all the different issues concerning the public rights of access to the woods and openly and fairly inform the general public of their intentions.

"Opening times must be agreed by all parties involved including the public to ensure the park is not spoiled."

After the meeting Bernard Sheridan head of environmental services said: "At this stage there was common agreement over some of the issues such as dealing firmly with antisocial behaviour when the park is closed. But both parties will need further consideration over the positioning of the gates. If they can come to a mutual agreement they will come back to the council with their decision on November 7."

"If agreement cannot be reached the council will carry out a full consultation exercise with local residents in and around the park."