THE release of the hundreds of boxes of secret Hillsborough files will take time, according to the Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police.

The under-fire officer confirmed he had spoken to the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith yesterday over the public disclosure of the documents.

But Chief Constable Meredydd Hughes cautioned that the process of releasing the files would not be a quick process.

Yesterday, it was revealed how up to 300 boxes of documents were in the possession of South Yorkshire Police.

Mr Hughes denied there had been a cover up by his force and questioned whether public airing of the files would lead to a major reappraisal of the tragedy.

The Chief Constable said: “I have spoken with the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith. During that conversation I reiterated my commitment to releasing, wherever possible, the information held by South Yorkshire Police regarding the Hillsborough disaster.

“Various options are under consideration about how this can be done both effectively and coherently.

“This will take time given the huge amount of material held and the other public bodies which may also have information.”

Discussions are now set to take place to decide upon the best manner in which to release the information.

The thousand of pages may even have to be placed on computer discs rather than be sifted through manually by the Hillsborough families.