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Toxic town impact as most high-risk contaminated sites unchecked

BBC
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Nine out of 10 "high-risk" areas have not been tested by councils responding to a BBC Freedom of Information request.

Sites are thought to contain substances such as lead or arsenic.

UK government says councils have a statutory duty to inspect sites but councils say they do not have the money to do it.

Toxicologist: "Nothing is more of a forever chemical than lead".

Campaigners want a new law forcing councils to keep a public register of all potential contaminated sites.

Zane 's law - named after Zane Gbangbola - also calls for measures such as more money for councils to identify and test possible sites.

Several councils have told the BBC that funding is the reason they had stopped checking possible contaminated land.