Question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what tests of dioxin levels at the site of the former Avenue Cokeworks at Wingerworth in Derbyshire he has commissioned.
Answer
Mr. Barnes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what tests of dioxin levels at the site of the former Avenue Cokeworks at Wingerworth in Derbyshire he has commissioned; and if he will make a statement. [40172] Angela Eagle: No tests of dioxin levels have been commissioned at the site of the former Avenue Cokeworks at Wingerworth in Derbyshire as the activities at this site are not considered to be significant sources of dioxins. While all combustion activities are likely to generate some dioxins, the Environment Agency report that the levels detected in or on the ground within the site would be expected to be similar to those which have been detected in urban areas. The Environment Agency and its predecessors have undertaken extensive dioxin monitoring in the river sediments in and around Chesterfield since the early 1990s. There have been no significant dioxin levels in the sediments of the River Rother upstream of its confluence with the River Doe Lea indicating that there have been no significant inputs of dioxins from the Avenue site. In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) has been monitoring dioxins in cow's milk from farms in the Derbyshire area since 1991; these results have been published.