Glasgow toxic site 'capped'

Glasgow Green, where the contamination was found

An area the size of an Olympic swimming pool is to be sealed off in Glasgow city centre after the discovery of toxic waste.

Council officials plan to "cap" part of Glasgow Green to ensure none of the poisonous material escapes.

The contamination was discovered in February while engineers carried out soil load-bearing tests for the £10.85m Glasgow Green renewal project.

A special membrane will laid in the affected area after consultations with the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa). It was decided that capping would be safer than the removal and tipping of the contaminants.

Councillor Alistair Watson, convener of the city council's land services committee, said: "Safety has been the city's council's priority ever since this material was found at Glasgow Green.

Cordoned off

"We have consulted all along the way with Sepa and the Health and Safety Executive to make sure there would be no danger to the public."

The affected site is intended to be part of a special events space with reinforced turf surfaces to host some of the city's large events.

The renewal project also includes a major tree planting operation and the restoration of Nelson's Column. The Doulton Fountain will be both restored and relocated.

When the discovery was initially made the area was cordoned off as more tests were carried out.

The toxic substance, buried just a few inches below the surface, was used to fill in a site excavated in 1939 for an Olympic-size swimming pool.

Work frozen

Samples from one identified high levels of the black tarry material, likely to be old gas works waste on a part of the old swimming pool site.

The area of the infilled pool is 90x60 metres and is located between Nelson's Column and the People's Palace.

Work on the pool site began in 1939 but was frozen during the war.

After 1945 the Glasgow Corporation tried unsuccessfully to secure funding to complete the project and in 1950 the decision was taken to backfill the excavations.