New research identifies over 45,000 potentially contaminated land sites across Wales and ‘almost none’ have been inspected.
Friends of the Earth Cymru submitted Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to all 22 Welsh councils, asking them to release their register of contaminated land.
18 out of 22 councils responded to the request and these responses, together with Friends of the Earth Cymru’s own research, revealed 45,157 potentially contaminated sites across Wales.
The new investigation found that only 82 sites in Wales are designated as contaminated, 15 councils have an inspection strategy, but only four have updated it in the past five years, and one dates to 2002, and the oldest strategy dated back to 2002.
This issue must not be ignored – the longer the delay, the greater the risk to our health, the environment and future generations.
One council stated on its website that it had not identified any contaminated land, however, the FOI request revealed 18 sites of likely contamination, noting that it lacked the funds to investigate these fully.
Four councils that did not have a publicly available register told campaigners that they had identified sites that should appear on one.
Friends of the Earth Cymru is calling for a public inquiry into the scale and impact of contaminated land in Wales.
Commenting on the investigation, Kirsty Luff, Friends of the Earth Cymru spokesperson, said: “Councils are legally required to identify and assess contaminated land, but they don’t have the funding, resources, or political support to do the job.
“That’s why we’re calling for a public inquiry and urgent action from both the Welsh and UK Governments.
“This issue must not be ignored – the longer the delay, the greater the risk to our health, the environment and future generations.”