Contaminated land case study - Cambridge

Frustrated homeowners living on a housing estate built upon an old gasworks site have finally seen the completion of remediation work on their properties, more than five years after initial soil samples were taken.

This long drawn-out case dates back to April 2003, when contaminants were first discovered in the gardens of 25 homes in Littleport, Cambridgeshire. The properties, built near a former gasworks site, were found to contain toxic chemicals including cyanide, mercury, lead, arsenic and cancer-causing benzopyrene.

Initially the council told residents they could be liable for part of the remediation costs because Regal Bourne, the housing developer who originally built the houses, was no longer in business. However, this threat proved unfounded as the local authority and DEFRA combined to finance the clean up of the site, which finally began in April 2008.

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