PFAS Barrels Cleared From Islip Depot; Tests Disputed — SkimNews
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- Newcore removed approximately 40 barrels of PFAS-containing firefighting foam that had sat at the Islip Fuel Depot in Oxfordshire for decades; the former RAF/Esso site has outline planning approval for residential and affordable housing
- Gallos Brook community group campaigners tested soil near the storage area and recorded 3,743.3 micrograms of PFAS per kilo, with PFOS levels 205 times above the safe residential limit — calling it "likely the highest level of soil contamination measured anywhere in the UK"
- CEO Hugo Llewelyn dismissed the campaigners' findings, labeling them a "pressure group" that "trespassed unlawfully" to obtain a "questionable sample," and produced Phase 2 test results showing 64.1 micrograms per kilo of PFAS — roughly 98% lower than the campaigners' figure
- Newcore said the foam containers "were sealed" and had never been deployed, arguing successive surveys found no "pathway" for pollution, though it confirmed the 50% affordable housing regeneration plan for the site it acquired in 2012
- The Environment Agency's Chemical Compliance team contacted site owners to confirm the drums are being properly managed, while Angus Fire Armour — the barrel manufacturer — was separately identified in the article as having settled a PFAS legal claim with Yorkshire residents out of court
- The depot previously supplied fuel to RAF Upper Heyford, which is suspected as the source of regional PFAS contamination from firefighting foam use
Why it matters: The developer and campaigners differ by roughly 98% in measured PFAS levels at a site already approved for homes, and the BBC notes Newcore's official lab results have not been independently verified. Until that gap is closed, future residents of the planned affordable housing face an unresolved contamination question, and the Environment Agency's involvement signals regulatory scrutiny is now active.
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