UPDATE:
The Tamworth BMX track has been closed indefinitely, after asbestos was discovered on the track on Wednesday.
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Tamworth Regional Council confirmed the contamination at the Marius Street site on Thursday.
The track has been fenced off and no one from the BMX club or the community can access it.
Council sport and recreation manager Paul Kelly said it isn't known how, or when, the contamination occurred, but it could stem back to the 1980s when the track was originally built.
"We've never had the track inspected previously, we've never had a need to, or a concern to," Mr Kelly said.
He said the contamination was discovered by specialist consultants who were at the BMX track to inspect buildings on site, when the "eagle-eyed" workers noticed asbestos fragments on the bike track.
"At the end of next week we hope to have a report come back which will tell us the extent of the contamination - whether it's a only a section of the track or large parts of the track," Mr Kelly said.
He said invasive soil testing will begin tomorrow and will involve "significant test pits" all over the site.
The closure of the track has devastated volunteers and riders of the Tamworth City BMX Club, secretary Emma Cooper said.
"We have no training facilities at all now, and that does impact all of our riders but primarily our elite riders who are at the beginning of a very competitive season ... we've got a group of riders who are attending the national round in Tasmania in a few weeks time," she said.
Whether it's a quick fix ... or whether it's a bulldoze and start again sort of fix, we're not sure at this point
- Emma Cooper
"Our closest club is three, three and a half hours away and so for any real competition [preparation], we don't have any."
Council informed the club about the contamination on Wednesday and the track was closed immediately.
It's a blow to the club, who have spent two years building up membership and a better facility, she said.
"Whether it's a quick fix ... or whether it's a bulldoze and start again sort of fix, we're not sure at this point."
People are being warned to stay away from the area.
EARLIER:
The Tamworth BMX track has been closed indefinitely after asbestos was found on the track.
The boundary around the Marius Street site in North Tamworth has been fenced off for safety reasons while the soil undergoes testing.
Tamworth Regional Council revealed the hazard on Thursday afternoon and said it is not yet known how the asbestos contaminated the BMX track or how long it has been there for.
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Council sport and recreation manager Paul Kelly said local specialists were conducting routine inspections of the buildings at the track on Wednesday when the "eagle-eyed" workers spotted fragments of asbestos on the BMX track.
Testing will begin at the track on Friday and council said it hoped results will be known by the end of next week so a remediation plan can be made.
Council said until these results come back, the length of the closure would not be known.
The public is being warned to stay away from the area.
More to come.
