Poison work bill is £1.5m

The clean-up of gardens in a Shropshire village contaminated with lead and arsenic could cost up to £1.5 million, it was revealed today.The work would see driveways and footpaths ripped up and ponds, plants and fences removed in a bid to get rid of all the contaminated soil in Pontesbury.

An examination of the former lead smelting works in Minsterley Road, Pontesbury, in 2006 confirmed the site needed to be dealt with as contaminated land.

A £40,000 survey to find out the full extent of the contamination has been carried out and borough councillors will next week consider whether to spend £1.5 million cleaning up the eight gardens affected.

An application has been made to Defra to secure grant funding for the work.

In September 2006, villagers were warned not to eat their home-grown vegetables in case they were poisonous. Gardens in part of the village were found to contain high levels of lead, arsenic and cadmium from the old mine works.

Officers recommend councillors agree to carry out a clean-up, including the removal of sheds, fences, ponds and plants, the break out of hardstandings and internal walls that do not adjoin buildings, replacing soakaways and drains as necessary, excavating and disposing of contaminated soil to landfill and reinstating driveways and footpaths.

If approved on January 8, the matter will be referred to the cabinet on January 28 to agree the method of financing.

David Spode, borough council manager for pollution and housing, said: "It's really sorting out where we are and what the next part of the work is and getting member's approval that we continue with the project.

"£1.5 million is a ball park absolute worst-case figure for the clean-up work which is the final phase of the project.

"£1.5 million is the cost of the clean-up. The council will be asked to make financial provisions for it from the budgetary process but we have made an application to Defra and the contaminated land capital grant scheme and think we will get a substantial, if not all, of the costs back from the grant."

The work is envisaged for the late summer or early autumn.