Barrels of firefighting foam containing forever chemicals have been removed from the Islip Fuel Depot in Oxfordshire following concerns raised by campaigners. The former military and fuel transfer site is slated for a new housing development with 50 percent affordable homes, as developers dispute soil sample findings.
About 40 barrels of firefighting foam liquid, manufactured in 1988 and left at an approved development site, have been cleared away alongside mandatory testing, according to the project’s developer. The Islip Fuel Depot in Oxfordshire serves as a former RAF and Esso fuel storage and transfer facility that has had outline planning permission approved to build residential and affordable homes.
Public attention turned to the location after campaigners discovered the aging containers of firefighting foam liquid, which contains polyfluoroalkyl substances commonly known as PFAS. These persistent compounds resist natural degradation in the environment, earning them the moniker forever chemicals.
Developer Response and Removal at Islip Fuel Depot
Newcore, the developer managing the property, stated that an initial assessment last year already identified the potential for contamination. Hugo Llewelyn, CEO of Newcore, who took over the site in 2012, said it plans to regenerate the land with 50 percent affordable housing.
Llewelyn noted that his team learned of the specific drums in recent weeks and acted to have them cleared in a responsible and professional manner. He defended the historical handling of the materials on the property.
The developer also noted that the specification for the Phase 2 investigation has therefore been designed to specifically address this potential risk and any contamination identified will be cleaned up immediately.
Disputed Soil Samples and Campaigner Testing
Activists from the Gallos Brook community group regularly test for PFAS throughout the region. Members gathered soil samples near the storage infrastructure, which they claimed is likely the highest level of soil contamination measured anywhere in the UK.
A UKAS-certified laboratory analyzed the samples, recording a concentration of 3.74325 micrograms of PFAS per kilo. Among those compounds, PFOS registered at levels 205 times higher than safety guidelines permit for residential land use.
Llewelyn strongly disputed the validity of those findings, 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,
he stated, adding, I’m not sure there is anything to be surprised about here.
To counter the campaigners’ claims, the developer produced alternative results gathered during its Phase 2 investigation in the same sector. Those tests measured total PFAS levels at 0.0641 micrograms per kilo—roughly 98 percent lower than the figures reported by the community group—which Llewelyn described as the accurate results of our professional testing.
Regulatory Oversight and Regional Contamination Context
Images of the removed barrels indicate they were manufactured by Angus Fire Armour. The company previously settled an out-of-court legal battle with Yorkshire residents who claimed exposure to PFAS near a foam manufacturing plant.
The Islip Fuel Depot historically supplied fuel to RAF Upper Heyford located roughly five miles north. That neighboring facility is suspected to be a primary source of wider regional forever chemical contamination linked to firefighting foam operations.
The Environment Agency’s Chemical Compliance team intervened by contacting the property owners to guarantee that the drums are properly managed. Meanwhile, the BBC has not been presented with the official lab results to verify the developer’s findings independently.
