Arsenic shockwaves continue

The site has been regularly inspected say authorities

The discovery of arsenic in wood products from the Crabbe composting site in Jersey should be a "warning sign" for the future.

Chief officer of agriculture and fisheries, David Griffis, says the department was not told by the consultants that wood treated with a chemical preservative could leak poisons into the soil and surrounding water.

Four years ago the site at Crabbe began to use timber that had been treated with the preservative CCA in the composting process.

Mr Griffis says none of the four agencies which regulate the work there said that would be a cause for concern.

Jersey experts check the site every year so its licence can be renewed, and has never identified the wood as a source of contamination.

Mr Griffis says its important in the future to be completely sure of the implications of what it is recycling.

Twelve boreholes across the island are being investigated, with the possibility they could be contaminated with arsenic from Crabbe wood products.