Paul MurphyEast Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Climate and Environment Correspondent, Pollington, East Yorkshire
BBCResidents in an East Yorkshire village say a proposal to develop contaminated land near their homes could threaten the quality of the local water supply.
Matrix Aggregates Ltd has submitted a planning application to reopen the former Middleton Quarry in Pollington, remove thousands of tonnes of illegally dumped waste and use it to dispose of “inert” commercial waste.
The company, which was not involved in the contamination of the site, has declined to comment to the BBC but resident Kerry Biddle said there was “enormous local opposition” to the proposal.
The Environment Agency has also objected to the plans which will be decided on by East Riding of Yorkshire Council at a future date.
Middleton Quarry opened as a sand and gravel quarry in the 1950s but, in 2008, it was used illegally as a dumping ground for toxic materials including asbestos.
Following an investigation by the Environment Agency, two men were prosecuted and jailed for their part in a large-scale waste crime.
The application to develop the site, which has no connection to its past ownership, would involve the removal of 127,000 tonnes of illegally dumped waste before sealing the quarry floor and using the area to dump “inert” commercial waste.
“Our water supply comes from the rock beneath the quarry. If toxins get into that we don’t know what it could do to public health,” Ms Biddle said.
The developer is proposing to build housing on part of the quarry when it is eventually filled in.
In its submission to East Riding of Yorkshire Council, the Environment Agency said it was “concerned that the risk to groundwater from this proposed activity has not been fully assessed.”
Retired industrial chemist John Bellwood lives in a house that overlooks the former quarry.
Mr Bellwood said leaving the contaminated waste “in situ” would be a lot safer.
“If they were digging for critical minerals I could understand it,” he said.
“What they are actually proposing to do is disturb the contaminated area and eventually fill the space with rubbish.”
The former quarry site is now filled with trees, plants and bushes and is described by local residents as a “nature reserve”.
No date has been set for the planning application to be heard.
East Riding of Yorkshire Council said it would not comment on an ongoing planning application.