Barrels of firefighting foam containing forever chemicals at the Islip Fuel Depot in Oxfordshire have been removed following concerns raised by campaigners. Developer Newcore stated the sealed containers from 20th-century Ministry of Defence operations were never deployed, while community testers reported exceptionally high soil contamination nearby.
Roughly 40 barrels of firefighting foam liquid left at an approved development site have been cleared away and testing has been carried out, according to the site’s developer. The Islip Fuel Depot in Oxfordshire, a former Royal Air Force and Esso fuel storage and transfer facility, holds outline planning permission for residential and affordable housing development. Concern arose after local campaigners discovered the aging containers had remained on the property for decades.
Developer Removes Contaminated Barrels at Oxfordshire Facility
Newcore CEO Hugo Llewelyn, who took over the site in 2012, stated that the company was made aware of the barrels in recent weeks and had them removed in a responsible and professional manner. The facility historically supplied fuel to the former RAF Upper Heyford base situated about five miles to the north, which is suspected to be a separate source of PFAS contamination from firefighting foam.
Images indicated the barrels were manufactured by Angus Fire Armour, a company that previously settled a legal dispute out of court with Yorkshire residents claiming exposure near its foam manufacturing plant. Newcore maintained that a Phase 1 assessment conducted last year had already identified potential contamination risks. The developer stated that this potential risk and any contamination identified will be cleaned up immediately.
Campaigners and Developers Clash Over Contamination Levels
Disputes have emerged concerning the severity of pollution at the Oxfordshire location. Campaigners from the Gallos Brook community group regularly test the surrounding area for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as forever chemicals. Group members collected a soil sample near the storage area analyzed by a UKAS-certified laboratory.
The community organization claimed the sample yielded 3.74325 micrograms of PFAS per kilo, representing what they described as likely the highest level of soil contamination measured anywhere in the UK. Their findings indicated that PFOS, a specific forever chemical, reached concentrations 205 times higher than safe limits for residential land use. Mr. Llewelyn contested the validity of those measurements, criticizing the manner in which the samples were collected.
A ‘pressure group’ has trespassed unlawfully to obtain a questionable sample from this site to demonstrate that in the secured area of the site that was purposefully designed to accommodate foam for firefighting purposes, which is likely to contain PFAS, does, according to their findings, contain PFAS.
Hugo Llewelyn, CEO of Newcore, via BBC
As part of Phase 2 investigations, Newcore produced alternative testing figures from the same zone. The developer reported total levels of 0.0641 micrograms of PFAS per kilo—roughly 98 percent lower than the figures published by campaigners—describing them as the accurate results of our professional testing. Independent verification of those official laboratory results remains pending.
Environment Agency Monitors Compliance at Development Site
Regulatory authorities have stepped in to monitor conditions at the property. The Environment Agency’s Chemical Compliance team contacted site owners to verify that the drums receive proper management. Meanwhile, the developer retains plans to transform the depot into a residential community featuring 50 percent affordable housing.