Billet Road Site 99 was unlicensed landfill - what lies beneath?

Defra show the site London Borough of Redbridge intend to build 800 homes on and a school was an unlicensed landfill site in the 1970's.


Historic Landfill site Defra
A site report by REC Resource & Environmental Consultants Ltd Nov 2014 states:

In case this is hard to read the list is:
As (Arsenic),
Cd (Cadmium),
Cr (Chromium),
Pb (Lead),
Hg (Hydrargyrum),
Se (Selenium),
Ni (Nickel)
Asbestos Fibers in soil
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH)
Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) (hexane, benzene, toluene, xylenes, naphthalene)
Ground Gases 
Herbicides and Pesticides
Heavy metals, 

On site potential Sources includes 'Potential harmful ground gasses and contaminants contained within the historic landfill and potential historic agricultural land use.

Off site potential sources include active landfill 138m, off site tank 100m.

Potential Pathways - receptors may be potentially at risk from the identified potential sources of contamination via the following pathways:

  • Migration of mobile contaminants on or off site via services, sewers and man made conduits
  • Direct contact, ingestion and inhalation of contaminants on site
  • Migration of contaminated dusts during easthworks
  • Migration of mobile contaminants into groundwater and transport into surface waters
  • Migration of mobile contaminants directly into the surface waters
  • Migration of hazardous gases and 
  • Uptake of toxins/phytotoxins by plants

Potential Receptors - REC has identified the following possible receptors:

  • Future users of the site and buildings
  • Tertiary River situated approx 65m to the west
  • Underlying Secondary (A) aquifer
They add that construction workers are not considered to be a plausible receptor as exposure will be managed through the use of appropriate PPE and that exposure is likely to be for a short duration. BUT what of the residents nearby???

Under Buildings, foundations and services, the reports says that 'breaking ground to develop on site has the potential to disturb and mobilise contaminants in the historic landfill. Elevated sulphate concentrations could effect the integrity of buried concrete structures. Services may be affected by aggressive contaminants and may corride or penetrate services. Water supply pipes can be susceptible to penetration by hydrocarbons which may affect the quality of the water supply.'

Ilford Recorder - Fears 'Orange' water has contaminated land near school and farm' at Billet Road In a recent report, Redbridge Council noted: “The Environment Agency advised that the area… appears to have been an unlicensed tip that received waste between 1970 and 1973.” An Environment Agency spokesman said: ““We are currently investigating a report of a suspicious liquid in Seven Kings Water at Little Heath."
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