I\ve found a suspicious substance on site or have uncovered some buried tanks/drums. What action should I take?
If you or a worker on site find a suspicious substance on site such as oily or stained ground, made ground with ash, car parts, rags, wood or obvious waste materials, highly odourous soil such as rotten eggs, petrol, fuel or solvent type smells or uncover some buried drums, storage containers or tanks, then you will need to take advice from professional consultants to find out if you and your workers, nearby buildings/ residents, watercourses and the new development are at risk, in addition to ensuring that you are not breaching any environmental legislation. Leaving substances like this in the ground without assessment can expose future residents to harmful substances and can lead to action being taken against you in the future. Unknown substances can be potentially dangerous and a risk assessment should always be undertaken prior to exposing yourself and others. It is recommended that if it is safe, you make notes detailing what you have found such as the appearance, liquid / solid,
