RESIDENTS in Sandridge at the centre of a water pollution scare have hit out at council chiefs for not warning them earlier about a nearby private well which may be contaminated.

Sixty-six households in St Leonard's Court were sent a letter by St Albans District Council earlier this week informing them that the old Steetley Chemical factory site, on which St Leonard's Court stands, may be contaminated with the chemical bromate.

But residents, despite being told the affected water supplies have not been distributed to their households or any others in the St Albans district, have criticised council bosses for failing to tell them about the potential contamination when it was first discovered at the end of May.

They are also upset that district councillors were informed more than two weeks ago, while they only found out on Monday.

One pensioner, Mrs Olive Smith, 88, said: 'They say there's no risk, but when I came here about 12 years ago, when the houses were first built, I was assured there was no chance of any contamination like this.

'I just hope they can clear this up as soon as possible, so they can put our minds at rest.'

A neighbour, Mr Matthew Mitchell, said: 'I want to know why it took so long for the council to tell us that this site may be contaminated.

'If councillors were told about this over two weeks ago, then why weren't we?'

Investigations by the Environment Agency and Three Valleys Water found bromate, which is used in hair perming solutions and can cause kidney tumours in rats, in the groundwater between St Albans and Hatfield.

A borehole in Hatfield where the pollution was discovered has been taken out of use as a precaution and health chiefs are continuing their investigations. They say it will be a 'matter of weeks' before the identity of the contaminated site is revealed.

In the council letter to residents in St Leonard's Court, a senior environmental health officer said: 'It is thought that the old Steetley Chemical Ltd Continued on Page 2

Water risk 'low'

From Page 1

site may be the source of this contamination.

'The suspicion at the moment is that some contaminated soil remains underneath this layer.

'We think that the surface water leaching down through the soil has carried the bromate into the groundwater below the site and it has spread from there,' said the officer's letter.

'In addition, the water supplies that have been affected were not distributed within this area at all so there is no possibility that you have drunk any of the contaminated water.'

Council director of environmental services Mike Ridley said: 'We knew when the site was built that there were all manner of chemicals there and that's why no gardens were allowed to be built at St Leonard's Court.'

The scare comes just two weeks after the quality of drinking water in St Albans and Harpenden was declared the best it has ever been by the Drinking Water Inspectorate.

But health chiefs maintain the risk to the public is 'very low'.

Dr Marian McEvoy, consultant physician in communicable disease control for East and North Hertfordshire Health Authority, said: 'We are confident that any risk to health from bromate in water in these concentrations is very low.

'Local people should not be unduly concerned.'