News / Brislington
Decades-old oil barrels continue to pollute nature reserve
Decades-old barrels of tar are spoiling a nature reserve in east Bristol.
A neighbourhood group is fed up with some historic oil barrels polluting the beautiful woodlands of Nightingale Valley and creating a hazard for visitors and wildlife.
The rusted drums are full of “gloopy, watery tar mess”, a local resident told Bristol24/7.
is needed now More than ever
They are thought to have been dumped there at the end of the Second World War.
Bristol City Council said it is limited in what it can do as the land’s owner cannot be traced.
Nightingale Valley is a small, wooded valley in the Brislington area of the city, following part of the course of a brook.
“On the one side of the stream, it just looks like any other parkland. But on the left-hand side of the stream, it’s like you’re walking on melted tar,” said Andy Coogan, part of Friends of Brislington Brook.
“It’s a heavily used and very beautiful nature reserve – with newts and frogs and all kinds of lovely wildlife,” Coogan added.
“But every summer, the tar flows closer to the stream, and nobody really knows what’s underneath it. At some point in the future, there may be a melting incident, which will release some stuff under the ground, then creating an ecological problem.”
1/5 Bristol Council, can you comment on this sign that you have installed in the beautiful Nightingale Valley in Bristol? I saw the sign and thought how bad can a bit of historic fly tipping be? I went to investigate (carefully!) @BristolCouncil @TheBristolCable @BristolNats pic.twitter.com/BmIOEpRYpM
— Ian Denton (@IanDenton12) August 19, 2022
The Environment Agency took samples of the stream in Nightingale Valley for testing in August, saying analysis showed they are “unpleasant” but “not of immediate concern”.
In a statement, an Environment Agency spokesperson said that they put down some booms “as a precaution to prevent the pollution from reaching the watercourse”.
When the weather cooled and the flow stopped, the booms were removed.
Friends of Brislington Brook said the “dreaded” tar barrels have sat there for a lifetime
Bristol City Council said that numerous water and soil tests have been carried out over the past two decades, but they have not identified contaminations serious enough to enforce a clean-up.
A council spokesperson added: “With an increase in visitors and use of the area since the pandemic we’ve seen the degradation of the tar barrels accelerate.
“This combined with the warm weather during the summer caused the contents of the barrels, which when left undisturbed remains solid, to become sticky and mobile.
“We continue to explore other enforcement options, but as we’re limited in what we can do by the powers currently available to us we are attempting to identify the landowner so we can work with and encourage them to take action.”
All photos: Friends of Brislington Brook
Read next:
- Stories of St Anne’s women to be told in new folk project
- The amazing Japanese-style garden hidden behind a Bristol home
- Hit BBC show to star Brislington jeweller
Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
