Hauxton: Residents Sue Clean-Up Firm

26 February 2013, 15:59 | Updated: 28 February 2013, 11:25

People living in the south Cambridgeshire village of Hauxton say they are to sue the company involved in the environmental clean-up of the former Bayer Crop Sciences site.

Bayer Crop Sciences closed their site in 2004 - ending the production of pesticides there. But it was nearly 7 years later when the former factory site was given outline planning permission for 200 houses to be built.

However, South Cambridgeshire Council only granted that on condition any contamination of the ground during more than half-a-century's worth of agro-chemical production which may have seeped into the soil - was cleared.

During work, carried out by a firm specialising in decontaminating land - residents complained of "noxious odours" - particularly between April 2010 and November 2011.

Speaking to Heart, Gwen Evans from legal firm Hugh James LLP said: "We've seen evidence from the Environment Agency who regulated the work on site, and from the local authority and from the residents themselves.

It suggests to us during the period of work - the odour emissions from site gave rise to an unreasonable interference of our clients homes and gardens of and therefore the law of private nuisance will come into play."

An open day will take place on Wednesday 6th March at Hauxton Village Hall from 2pm and 8pm for any other residents who'd be interested in the claim being undertaken and haven't been party to it so far.

Heart have approached Somerset based Vertase FLI Limited and were told the firm would not be making any public comment during the legal process.