Contaminated land
Overview
Land can be contaminated by things like:
- heavy metals, such as arsenic, cadmium and lead
- oils and tars
- chemical substances and preparations, like solvents
- gases
- asbestos
- radioactive substances
What counts as contaminated land
Land is legally defined as ‘contaminated land’ where substances are causing or could cause:
- significant harm to people, property or protected species
- significant pollution of surface waters (for example lakes and rivers) or groundwater
- harm to people as a result of radioactivity
Contaminated land may previously have been used as a:
- factory
- mine
- steel mill
- refinery
- landfill
Special sites
Some types of contaminated land are classed as ‘special sites’. This includes land that:
- seriously affects drinking waters, surface waters or important groundwater sources
- has been, or is being, used for certain industrial activities, such as oil refining or making explosives
- is being or has been regulated using a permit issued under the integrated pollution control or pollution prevention and control regimes
- has been used to get rid of waste acid tars
- is owned or occupied by the Ministry of Defence
- is contaminated by radioactivity
- is a nuclear site
The Environment Agency has technical guidance on special sites.
Once a local council has decided that an area is a special site, it is regulated by:
- the Environment Agency in England
- Natural Resources Wales in Wales
- the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) in Scotland