Contaminated land

Dudley is situated at the heart of the Black Country, an intensely industrialised area that was at the forefront of the industrial revolution. The strong industrial heritage of the Dudley borough was built upon its mineral wealth of coal, ironstone, limestone, fireclay and sand.

Numerous sites have become contaminated due to human activities involving the use, manufacture, storage and disposal of toxic or hazardous substances. The type of contamination can vary widely from site to site and is specific to the previous use. Some of the more common substances encountered include arsenic, heavy metals (such as lead and mercury), oils and tars, solvents, acids and gases such as methane and hydrogen sulphide associated with the degradation of wastes.

Land contamination is not just restricted to industrial sites. Some substances, such as arsenic, methane and carbon dioxide can occur naturally due to the geology of the borough. Contamination can also be present as a result of accidents, spillages, aerial deposition or migration.

Besides land contamination, the nature of the borough’s industrial past has also resulted in other hazardous ground conditions associated with unstable land, shallow coal workings, mineshafts and limestone caverns being present.

The council is working to address the legacy of contamination associated with historic activities and also prevent the creation of new contamination. Land contamination is an important issue for the council, both in terms of preventing damage to human health and the environment, and in encouraging development on brownfield sites.  

Free access to a variety of information is available via the website so that people can make informed decisions about land contamination themselves.

Environmental searches

Please be aware that Environmental Health doesn’t provide an environmental information or reporting service.

If you are in receipt of a third party environmental report suggesting that your property could be contaminated land we would refer you to the Researching the potential for contamination to be present section of the website.

We are unable to enter into any correspondence in relation to third party environmental reports and we don’t give property specific advice.

Furthermore, Environmental Health is not prepared to speculate about the likelihood of contamination being present and we are unable to give any assurances in relation to any specific land or property.

Complaints and Advice

We will provide advice or investigate complaints about Contaminated Land in the Borough.

Please use the Contaminated Land Advice and Complaints form.