Fears of airfield link to leukaemia cases due to dumped toxic waste

CAMPAIGNERS SAY THERE MAY BE 'ERRORS' IN 2008 REPORT THAT DISMISSED CLAIMS

- By JOE LOCKER Local democracy reporter

A COUNCIL and a housing developer say the historical uses of Tollerton Airfield "are being taken seriously" as campaigners continue to raise concerns over potential toxic waste contamination on the site.

In June the airfield was shut, having been purchased by housing developer Vistry in 2022.

Vistry has submitted plans for 400 homes with wider plans for 1,600 homes and a new school on the site, after it was allocated for housing under Rushcliffe Borough Council's local plan.

However the Save Nottingham City Airfield campaign group says it has concerns over the area being disturbed due to its historic uses as a disposal site for old aircraft.

The airfield was used for the servicing of RAF aircraft during the Second World War, and after the war it is believed more than 1,200 aircraft, including Lancaster bombers, were taken apart, burnt, and buried on the site. This process included the disposal of the luminising dials made using radium-226 at the time - from the cockpits.

Concerns were originally raised 17 to 18 years ago, when Rushcliffe Borough Council conducted an investigation into the incidence of acute myeloid leukaemia at the nearby Tollerton mobile home park.

An anonymous report sent to the council from a member of the public suggested four working-age men had been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia. The men all reportedly lived at a caravan site next to the airfield.