£40,000 study on pollution

Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council is set to spend a further £40,000 on investigations into eight village gardens which are contaminated with lead and arsenic.

The affected properties in Pontesbury were identified during a survey on behalf of the council after the problem was discovered at the former lead smelting works at Minsterley Road.

It was originally thought that a larger proportion of village homes would be affected after many were told not to eat fruit and vegetables grown in their own gardens.

Cabinet members were due to make a decision last month, but it was moved to the next meeting on September 17.

Members have been recommended to allocate £40,000 to fund an assessment of the remediation options and the preparation of outline cost estimates.

Officers have also recommended that an application is made to Defra to secure grant funding.

A report to cabinet says if no action is taken at all it would leave residents aware of the investigation with worries about their health and the ability to sell their properties.

The contamination problem in Pontesbury only came to light last year when the council carried out a review of previous uses of land within the borough.

Some of the affected homeowners were angry that earlier checks did not reveal the problem.