A SURVEY checking for industrial soil contamination beneath more than a hundred Anglesey homes is to go ahead - raising safety concerns with the estate’s residents.

Isle of Anglesey County Council is to commission soil samples from gardens at 112 houses on the Craig y Don estate in Amlwch.

As far back as 1786 the site was used for copper smelting and the site was also known as Gwaith Hill’s (Hill’s Works), a reference to Hill’s Chemical Works which produced fertilizers from around 1889.

The present houses were built on the site in the early 1950s.

Now the council has written to families saying it has a responsibility to investigate in order to assess the site’s safety.

Resident Catherine Hughes, who has lived on the estate for 53 years, said: “It is a worry, but me and my husband raised two healthy children here and his family lived here long before I came.

”I’m 85, if there is anything, it can’t be that bad! There’s plenty here who live to a good age. I’ve given permission for them to dig, it is a bit worrying if they do find something, but we have to check for the future generations.”

Another resident Miriam Sanders said: “Two council officials came round and asked for my consent.

“I’ve known about all this for 50 years or more, I’m not too worried, I don’t think they’ll find anything, but I wonder what they will do if they do? It could be in the house footings, but I can’t see them knocking everyone’s houses down!”

Council leader Cllr Llinos Medi said: “We’ve written to all 112 properties providing detailed information about how the survey process will be undertaken and background to the site’s history and previous uses. We currently have no evidence of any contamination in the land and the survey is a precautionary measure. The aim of the survey is to ensure that the land has not been contaminated by past industrial uses.”

The gardens and amenity areas owned by the council will be assessed during December and January and a report outlining initial findings around March 2018.

The council’s head of housing services, Shan Lloyd Williams, said: “A large number of properties on the estate are now in private ownership, but as this issues affects the whole estate, we will ensure that the sampling process is undertaken on behalf of all residents, at no cost.

“We are encouraging all residents to complete an acceptance form which will give permission for a survey team to enter into their gardens to carry out the soil testing to a depth of around 600mm. This will have no lasting effect on their properties.”

On its website, the council says residents should continue with “normal day-to-day good practice,” including washing produce grown in gardens; wear gloves whilst working in the garden and remove footwear before entering the house and to avoid bringing soil inside.

Private tenants are asked to inform landlords. For more advice call 01248 752322 or email EHEALTH@ynysmon.gov.uk