Second Thornton allotment closed and declared 'contaminated' over PFOA findings from former ICI site
“ We understand that local residents will understandably be concerned”
An allotment site in Thornton has been closed temporaily because the land, where people grow food, is contaminated.
Experts from the Environment Agency have concluded that the Sandringham Avenue Allotments meet the criteria to be ‘determined as contaminated land’ as part of a major environmental investigation.
Wyre Council launched a multi-agency investigation in 2024 to consider potential historic contamination from the former ICI site - now operated by AGC Chemicals Europe Ltd – which occupies part of Hillhouse Technology Enterprise Zone.
The investigation is looking into whether Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA), used on the site between the 1950s and 2012 and released into the air, may have been deposited on land in the surrounding area.
These conclusions follow two phases of shallow soil sampling carried out at the site last year, which found PFOA levels above the low-risk interim screening level for soils where produce is grown in an allotment setting.
The results have already been published on the multi-agency webpages here: www.wyre.gov.uk/multi-agency
With the support of the allotment tenants, Sandringham Avenue Allotments will be closed temporarily while Wyre Council follows the legal process towards remediation of the site.
The Council’s full intention is for the land to be restored and brought back into use as an allotment.
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A spokesperson for the investigation said: “An investigation of this nature is a complex legal process and we will continue to follow that process carefully.
“We understand that local residents will understandably be concerned, particularly as we now have two sites which appear to meet the criteria for determination under the contaminated land regime, the other being Occupation Road Allotments.
“The recommendation for Sandringham Avenue Allotments - as with Occupation Road - is based on very sensitive screening levels for allotment sites, recognising that people who grow produce in this way are more likely to consume a higher proportion of home-grown produce in their diet than those who grow food at home.”
Wyre Council will now consider the Environment Agency’s conclusions and continue to follow the legal steps set out under Part 2A. The wider multi-agency investigation into potential historic contamination linked to part of the Hillhouse Technology Enterprise Zone remains ongoing.
It has been deemed contaminated land under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.