RESIDENTS in Preston and South Ribble are being encouraged to have their say on a plan to clean up contaminated land across the borough.

Under the new Environmental Protection Act, all councils have a duty to register any contaminated land in their area.

And if the ground is identified as posing a risk to nearby residents, then the council can order the land to be cleaned up.

In Preston, environmental health chiefs say contaminated sites are likely to contain either landfill gases like methane, or other items such as petrol, oils or heavy metals, that may have been left by former businesses.

In most cases, such contaminants pose no health risk. However, experts warn that there could be a 'pathway' which allows it to come into contact with humans, wildlife and rivers.

It is only in these specific cases that a council clean up will be ordered.

Residents in Preston have until Friday May 11 to air their views and councillor Andy Campbell is keen to see locals getting involved.

He said: "The council has new powers to clean up contaminated land. Our contaminated land strategy sets out how we will do this, but we need local people's views.

"It will take time to identify and clean up all contaminated land in the borough but with this new strategy, we can now start to make some progress."

Copies of the contaminated land strategy is available in all libraries and on Preston Borough Council's website -- www.preston.gov.uk -- or by telephoning Nat Slade, contaminated land officer, on 906702.