Chemical menace tests for homes

The chemical tests at the former base began on Monday

Nearly 100 homes in Gloucester are being tested for chemical contamination after nearby sites were polluted.

Developers have cleared some pollution left at a site in Quedgeley, close to the RAF's former base.

Heavy metals, chemicals, asbestos and radium contaminated the land, which was originally a munitions factory in World War I.

The contamination was caused by the military practice of burying or burning waste materials on site.

After tracing the line of contamination, Gloucester City Council officials said it could extend under homes built in Naas Lane between the world wars and those built later in the 1950s and 60s.

They will also check for landfill gas due to the proximity of the former Waterwells Tip, which continues to produce methane.

A council spokesperson said that in both cases liability was clear and homeowners would not have to pay clean-up costs.