Contaminated land case study - Salford

Residents on a housing estate at Crofters Heights, Cadishead are nervously awaiting results from soil tests to confirm whether or not their homes are standing on contaminated land. Salford Council has advised parents not to allow children to play with the soil in their gardens, or to grow any vegetation, pending the outcome of the tests.

In March 2004 the council informed residents that they would be taking samples from every garden at Crofters Heights, fearing 37 houses were on located on land contaminated with solvents, arsenic, lead, cooper, nickel, zinc and coal tars. Initial tests completed in April 2004 proved inconclusive and in May 2005 the council told residents more investigations would be necessary. A second round of testing took place in November 2005, the results of which are due in the near future.

The site's industrial past is believed to be the source of the contamination as the housing estate is situated on a former cooper tank factory, a wallpaper factory and engineering works. Residents have now been living with the threat of contaminated land for over two years and are getting increasingly frustrated by the apparent lack of movement in the case. One homeowner commented: "We get sent bulletins by the council every few months or so which just inform us that nothing has happened."

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