With the recent increase in demand for allotment plots and the occasional report of allotments having been discovered to be contaminated, there are increasing concerns by existing allotment holders and those wishing to start an allotment over the potential risk of produce being contaminated by the land on which it is growing.

If there are serious concerns, soil testing and, for certain parameters, crop testing can be undertaken which may also be advantageous to local allotment associations to be able to certify to their members that the plots they hold are not contaminated.

Depending on the size or number of allotment plots, the testing would usually involve the hand excavation of trial holes to a depth of up to one metre, from each of which two soil samples are collected for chemical testing in order to identify any contaminants of concern which may present a risk to human health.

For allotments with potentially more serious concerns from underground tanks or landfills, it may be necessary to drill boreholes to obtain deeper soil samples and establish monitoring wells for gas and groundwater monitoring. This can usually be facilitated by the use of small window sampling rigs.

Wilbourn Associates offer a quick and efficient service for soil investigations and use only UKAS accredited laboratories which have MCERTS accredited testing methods for soil. We also apply the same strict protocols as we use on more complex commercial sites and care is always taken to leave sites in a tidy condition upon completion.

Should the soil testing identify contaminants we would work closely with you and your client to establish the best course of action.

Contact us
For more information or to obtain a price for our expert services, please contact a member of our environmental surveying team on 0114 243 5500 or email us.