Fears over plans for poison gas tests on farmland

The Ministry of Defence confirmed yesterday that a week-long inspection will be conducted on the land in North Yorkshire used to store mustard gas during the 1940s.

The gas, first used in the First World War causes intense itching and skin irritation, which gradually turns into large blisters filled with yellow fluid. It can kill or blind victims and is known to cause cancer.

Local councillors and nearby residents are concerned that they were not briefed about the testing at West Cottingwith, on the border of the Selby and York districts, ahead of yesterday's announcement.

Coun Christian Vassie, who represents the neighbouring Wheldrake ward on York Council, was unaware of the Ministry of Defence's plans until he was contacted by the Yorkshire Post.

Coun Vassie said: "I am surprised not to have been made aware of the Ministry of Defence's plans, seeing as the land borders on to my ward.

"However, I will be raising the issue with officers at York Council to try and establish exactly what is going on and whether it is a routine inspection or if a specific incident has triggered the need for the tests."

The land, which is now used for agriculture, is still recognised by many locals as the site of the former storage facility for chemical warfare agents.

Judy Ruston runs a holiday letting business called Thorganby Farm Cottages, based at Common Farm on Southmoor Road at Thorganby, which is less than a mile from the site where the tests will be conducted from next Monday.

Mrs Ruston said: "I have been living here for 20 years, and it was something of a shock when I discovered that the land had been used to store mustard gas.

"It is another shock and quite concerning to think that tests are still having to be carried out on the site more than 60 years after the end of the Second World War.

"While the Ministry of Defence is only doing its job, I would have hoped that any concerns about contamination would have been resolved long ago."

The Ministry of Defence confirmed yesterday that it has previously carried out clearance operations at West Cottingwith, although a spokesman admitted that officials are keen to establish the land is safe for farming given its history.

Experts from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and consultants from an independent environmental consultancy, Entec UK Limited, will be sampling soil, groundwater and surface water at various locations.

The Ministry of Defence maintained that it has been working with the landowners and users of the site, as well as the Environment Agency and Selby District Council, which is the local authority that covers West Cottingwith.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "We want to ensure that, despite previous chemical weapon activities, this site that we once owned remains safe. We are doing this work at West Cottingwith voluntarily to verify that historical site decommissioning and disposal practices were effective."

Although the site will remain open during the tests, access to some areas will be restricted by temporary cordons operating between 8am and 6pm each day. Normal access will resume outside of these times, including weekends and bank holidays.

The public has been urged to observe warning signs and keep dogs on leads while the work is being carried out.

The results of the survey will be presented to the landowners, the Environment Agency and Selby District Council in the summer of next year.