Call for test on landfill site before school is built.

CALLS have been made for tests on a landfill site earmarked for a new school in Newport.

But the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) has played down fears about using such sites for schools.

Children's Commissioner Peter Clarke is among those worried about possible health risks but Coun Goronwy Parry, WLGA deputy education spokesman, said there was no need to worry.

He said: "The health and safety of our children is of the highest priority and thorough reclamation procedures and testing according to national guidelines are carried out by local authorities before any public building can be built on old landfill sites."

National Assembly Liberal Democrat leader Mike German has called for a risk assessment to be carried out at Glebelands, Newport, the planned site for a replacement for Durham Primary School.

He said: "The unexplored dangers which lie in the soil at Glebelands could put children attending the school at risk.

"Exactly how serious that risk is has not been properly assessed.

"With chemicals such as mercury, lead and asbestos in the ground, the effects on the schoolchildren could be farreaching and long-lasting, especially in girls. Young girls exposed to such chemicals may have fertility problems in later life as a result, and their own children have a higher risk of heart defects and spina bifida."

But Coun Parry said Wales had some of the oldest school building stock in Britain and it was vital to improve it.

Coun Parry added: "Local authorities invest in appropriate testing to weigh up the risks and it would be a pity if the Commissioner's intervention were to result in raising public concern to the point where unfounded apprehension outweighs proper analysis."