Wyre Council gives major update on contamination probe at allotments near historic ICI site and AGC Chemicals
"This move follows a detailed technical assessment by a number of expert organisations including the Environment Agency, UK Health Security Agency and the Food Standards Agency.
Two allotment sites near to Thornton’s historic ICI, have been formally determined as Contaminated Land at a meeting of Wyre’s full council.
The sites at Occupation Road and Sandringham Avenue were both closed earlier this year when high levels of the forever chemical PFOA were found in soil samples.
The council launched an investigation, carried out by the Environment Agency, to consider whether the contamination had occurred from the former ICI site, now operated by AGC Chemicals Europe Ltd, at Hillhouse Technology Enterprise Zone.
Shallow soil samples taken from both allotments by expert scientists were found to contain levels of the chemical PFOA above the interim Category 4 Screening Level for produce grown in an allotment setting - the threshold used to help assess whether land is suitable for its current use.
When the allotments were closed, people who had plots were told to collect their belongings and not to consume any produce they may have grown.
A spokesperson for Wyre Council said: "This move follows a detailed technical assessment by a number of expert organisations including the Environment Agency, UK Health Security Agency and the Food Standards Agency.
"The decision to determine both sites as contaminated land means we can now move to the next stage in the legal process, which is to assess liability for the contamination and to carry out discussions with the identified party to secure the remediation needed to bring the allotments back into use.
The information formed part of a detailed risk assessment which led the Environment Agency to confirm each location met the criteria for classification as contaminated land under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
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A report on the issue was considered by members of Wyre's Full Council at The Civic Centre in Poulton-Le-Fylde yesterday, with councillors voting to formally determine the allotments as Contaminated Land.
Working with the Environment Agency, Wyre Council will now follow the strict legal process set out in the legislation towards remediation of the sites so they can be used as allotments once again.
The council must now undertake a liability assessment to identify any persons or organisations that may be legally responsible for the contamination.
Chemical company AGC is at the centre of the contamination probe and announced in September that it will cease production at the end of 2026 leaving around 200 people redundant.
The council added: “We understand how important these sites are to the allotment tenants and the wider community and we will continue to keep residents informed as this process moves forward."
The council performed its investigation under Under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.