Dale Farm travellers' site contamination concern

Samples are to be taken from the Dale Farm travellers' site in Essex over concerns about contamination.

Consultants will visit the site at Crays Hill, near Basildon, next week to collect samples from the land for analysis, the Environment Agency said.

The nature of the contamination is unknown and results are expected to take six weeks.

The Environment Agency said any threat to human health will be dealt with as quickly as possible.

The cost of the investigation can be recovered from whoever caused any damage, if this can be legally proved, it added.

The contamination is on the unauthorised part of Dale Farm, which was cleared by bailiffs in October last year.

About 80 families were evicted from the six-acre site after a decade-long planning row over the illegal settlement, some of which was on green belt land.