Appeal over contamination mystery

Officials are trying to determine the source of the contamination

A council has appealed for the public's help in trying to uncover the source of industrial waste heaps, thought to date from the mid-20th Century.

Falkirk Council said the contamination, which had a high pH value and also showed signs of heavy metals, was discovered on a public footpath.

They are appealing to locals who may know how the pollution came to be in an area known locally as the Gumboo.

The site, in Dunipace, near Falkirk, is opposite a former paper mill.

The contamination was discovered following tests by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency after white leachate was seen on the popular walkway.

The area was once the home to the former Carrongrove and Stoneywood paper mills, although the history of paper manufacture in the area dates back several hundred years.

'No question'

Under contaminated land legislation, any polluter has to pay for remediation of the contaminated area.

Officials want to trace the source of the problem so they can have the area cleaned and reopened to the public.

A spokesman for the council said the affected area was not seen as a serious threat to human health or the environment.

Officials have also detected no reduction in the water quality of the nearby River Carron.

Donna O'Kelly, the authority's contaminated land specialist, said: "Anyone who worked in the mills or lived in the area between the 1940s and 1960s could have invaluable information that will help us to establish the history of dumping in the area.

"It is important that they come forward as this is a well-used path.

"We are not looking for proof as such, simply anecdotal evidence from locals who were connected to the mills and who can recall the dumping taking place.

"There is no question of them becoming involved in any legal proceedings."