WORKERS on the site of Burnley’s first gasworks site have unearthed a tar pit more than a century old.

The pit, which would have been used to store leftovers from burnt coal, hasn’t been seen in more than 40 years.

National Grid, which owns the land off Parker Lane, were given planning premission from Burnley Council in April last year to carry out remedial work on the old site.

Local historian Coun Roger Frost said the gasworks was built in 1823 by Burnley Gas Works Company.

He said: "It was acquired by the Burnley Improvement Commissioners, the forerunners of Burnley Council, in the 1850s and it became the property of the council in 1861 when Burnley was incorporated.

"The works continued on this site until the 1930s when generation of gas was moved to the Stoneyholme Gas Works which stood on the site of the present Burnley College.

"Later a more modern gas holder was constructed at Oswald Street, now the only substabtial remnant of the industry in Burnley.

"The picture shows the works with a gas holder, production buildings above and below the holder and the offices to the left, on the south side of Parker Lane which runs from the top to the bottom of the image. The offices remained in use to the later 1960s."

The current work aims to prevent the risk of pollution into the River Calder by extracting contaminated water from an old underground liquor well.

Autograph Cars UK, which formerly occupied part of the site, had to relocate but National Tyres and Autocare has remained.

“In the past it was known for being a notably restrictive gasworks, incapable of holding a large gasometer. Because of this, expansion was limited,” added Coun Frost.

Operations at the gasworks wound down in the 1950s, shortly after the nationalistion of gas in 1948.