RESIDENTS and councillors are hoping to have a productive discussion on the future of a town's park at a public meeting tonight.

Anger has been brewing among families since Dalton's Storey Square park was dismantled by Barrow Borough Council last week, part of enforced budget cuts decided on two years ago.

And concerned residents will meet members from Barrow council as well as Dalton Town Council and Cumbria County Council to discuss the park's future.

It comes after the last vestige of the park's play equipment, the empty swing frame, was taken away yesterday morning.

Going forward it is likely the park will be revitalised with the support of residents' group or its maintenance taken over by the town council, as was the case with another Dalton park in Rusland Drive.

The gathering will take place at Dalton Community Centre in Nelson Street at 6pm.

Almost 700 people have joined a determined Facebook calling to "bring back" the park.

Councillor Shaun Blezard, the Barrow Borough Council member for Dalton South who organised the meeting, said: "I hope this will be a way forward for the park and it will a productive meeting to decide its future.

"If people need to have concerns heard then this is the chance to do it. Then we can have later meetings that are more considered."

Jenny Laverty, who set up the Facebook group, hoped the anger of the online group would be toned down at the meeting.

She said: "The discussions on Facebook have got a bit out of hand. It has been like a circus and I hope we will be able to stop arguing and come to a positive solution at this meeting."

Miss Laverty said she hoped a community group could be formed to raise funds for the park to buy new equipment and pay for its insurance and maintenance.

But her preferred resolution would be for the town council to take ownership.

Ann Thurlow, a councillor on the town and borough council, who will be attending the meeting tomorrow, said: "I hope we can calm everybody down."

She also said the town council taking over the running of the park would be "complicated" compared to the other park and new equipment would need to bebought, possibly forcing Dalton residents to pay more money into the town's council tax precept.