Concerns were raised today over the state of the capital's sports facilities.

A running track in Enfield illustrated how not enough is being done to encourage Britons to take part in sport in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics.

The Queen Elizabeth II Stadium was once used by 3,000 people a week and athletes - such as Seb Coe and Steve Ovett - ran in events there. But it was closed in May because the running track was unsafe.

Now the stadium is a magnet for flytippers and the track is covered in waste waiting to be sorted - while local children are said to be losing interest in sport because they cannot travel the five miles to the new Lea Valley stadium.

Enfield North MP Joan Ryan said she was worried about the message being sent about the Olympic legacy.

She has written to Enfield council to protest at the closure of the stadium and point out it is over the road from the Carterhatch Lane waste recycling facility - which the borough closed against the wishes of residents.

Ms Ryan said: "Not only is the stadium lying unused but the dumping of rubbish there will cause the fabric of the site to deteriorate further and faster.

"We are next to one of the Olympic boroughs, Waltham Forest, so what sort of a message does that send out about Enfield's commitment to London 2012? To close the stadium deprives many residents, especially the young, of decent sporting facilities. To use the sports stadium as a waste dump is an insult to all the people who want to use it and an act of breathtaking folly."

The venue used to be the base for Enfield and Haringey Athletics Club but it moved to the Lea Valley stadium last year. However, it still ran training sessions for children in the evenings and during school holidays.

Club secretary Ray Gibbins said: "Kids used to come along when they felt like having a go and it was great for them. They become involved and get some exercise. Now if they want something to do they can't hike the five miles to Lea Valley. There isn't anything else for them to do either. It's asking for trouble."

Athletics Partnership, a group of local clubs and a school, is calling on the council to give them £20,000 to repair the track so the stadium can be reopened.

A spokeswoman for Enfield said it was consulting local sports groups about the stadium's future and would announce a decision in autumn. She added: "The small tip happened as a result of the gates to the stadium being left open. The council is investigating why. All rubbish will be removed this week."