Dealing with land contamination

Introduction

Land is described as contaminated when it contains substances that can cause significant harm or pollution to people, the environment, or property. Contamination often results from previous land use, although it can also be the result of recent spills and leaks of contaminating substances.

If you own contaminated land you could be responsible for any harm or pollution it causes. Understanding the condition of your land is therefore important. Where they request it, you must allow your local authority or the Environment Agency access to your land to assess the level of contamination. They can order the person or business that caused the contamination to take remedial action. If they cannot be identified, then the owner or occupier of the land may be responsible for cleaning it up.

This guide explains the causes of contaminated land, how it is regulated, the remedies and what precautions or solutions are available.

Subjects covered in this guide

• Introduction
• Classification of contaminated land
• Regulation of contaminated land
• How to stop land becoming contaminated
• The risks of buying contaminated land
• Insuring against the risk of contaminated land

Print options - What are my print options - Opens in a new window

• Add guide to my print portfolio (print later as PDF)

Email options - What are my email options - Opens in a new window

• Tell a friend about this page
• Send me an email alert when this guide changes