THESE pictures show the shocking extent of fire damage to one of Wirral’s most popular parks.

But despite the damage and devastation to parts of Harrison Park, which has seen some of its dunes completely blackened, the local council has said it is “perfectly safe to use."

It comes after the recent heatwave that has seen sweltering temperatures for weeks across Merseyside, with fires hitting the Wallasey park, where there is now hardly a patch of greenery in sight.

Local councillor Paul Hayes said: “Immediately after seeing the grass fires at Harrison Park I contacted the council to ask whether anything could be done to put it back to its original state, I was told that unfortunately we would have to wait for the grass areas to rejuvenate and a period of rain will help.

“It’s such a shame to see the park looking the way it does at present, especially given all the hard work of community groups such as the Friends of Harrison Park in making this park an enjoyable environment for everyone.”

The park was the scene of various fires over the past weeks, with one earlier this month seeing Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service officers taking around an hour to beat the flames which covered an area of 100m by 50m.

Cllr Hayes added: “I have also urged the council to work with partners such as Merseyside Fire and Rescue to proactively issue guidance and advice around the use of disposable BBQs, disposing of cigarettes and generally keeping vigilant in periods of dry weather, in the hope that this may reduce the risk of further fires.”

A council spokesman said the fire-ravaged park is now “perfectly safe” to use, and revealed the local authority’s plan for the facility.

He explained: “Our parks staff are working to make sure we do all we can to repair the damage caused by the fire.

“Given the prolonged period of extremely dry weather the grass will take some time to recover, but will benefit from the forecast rain in the coming days and weeks.”

He said often after incidents like this, the grass grows back “thicker and stronger”, adding: “Once we have the forecast rain and can judge the longer term impact on the grass from the recent fire we can make a better judgement on what if any extra work we can carry out to repair the park.

“We’ve issued guidance and worked alongside colleagues from Merseyside Fire and Rescue to make sure people are aware of the heightened risk of fire during hot weather.”