Contaminated land case study - Shrewsbury

Eight gardens in the small village of Pontesbury have been successfully remediated at a cost of £1.5million. The work included demolishing driveways and footpaths to the eight affected properties, as well as removing plants, ponds and fences in a bid to thoroughly clean up the soil. A £1.3 million grant was secured for the work from DEFRA with Shrewsbury and Atcham Council paying the remaining £200,000.

Homeowners in Pontesbury initially became aware of the contamination in 2006 after environmental health officers discovered high levels of lead, arsenic and cadmium within the soil. The contaminated land is situated on the former site of an 18th century lead smelting works, which was replaced over a hundred years ago with houses.

Remediation work began in July 2008, more than two years after tests originally suggested the properties could be contaminated. Residents have since been awarded £40,000 to repair their gardens, as a result of the damage incurred when the contaminated soil was removed.

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