More than 100 landfills may be leaching hazardous waste

More than 100 old landfills in England that may be contaminated with toxic substances have flooded since 2000, potentially posing a serious safety risk, it can be revealed.

- Robyn Vinter

Some of the former dumps sit next to parks and housing estates, the analysis by the Greenpeace-funded website Unearthed, in partnership with the Guardian, found. Although councils are supposed to keep track of the dangers of these sites, funding has long since disappeared and some local authorities had no idea they were responsible, the investigation found.

Dr David Megson, an environmental chemist from Manchester Metropolitan University, said most sites were "likely to be quite safe and contain relatively inert waste, but some could be quite sinister". He added: "Historic reporting of what went into these sites wasn't great, so in many cases you've got little idea what is in there until you dig into it."