A MASSIVE injection of European funding holds the key to cleaning up a toxic lagoon which has troubled residents of Rhos for many years.

That was the message which came from the latest meeting of the Llwyneinion liaison committee held at Rhostyllen Parish Hall.

The quarterly gathering gives residents a chance to discuss environmental issues with representatives of Wrexham Council, the Environment Agency and emergency services.

A major concern of the committee is exactly when a clean-up of the former brick clay quarry at Llwyneinion will eventually take place.

Latest scientific analysis has revealed that the lagoon which has formed there contains 94,000 tonnes of liquid tar, a by-product of oil refining, dumped there before 1972.

It is estimated that cleaning it up it will cost a massive £40 million.
Ponciau councillor Paul Pemberton, who chaired the liaison meeting, said: “It was very fruitful and we discussed possible ways of financing the clean-up.

“Drainage is the only way forward and it was agreed the best source of funding must be Europe.

“I don’t want to get people’s hopes up but I am fairly confident that something will be done.

“Seven or eight years ago the technology did not exist to clean it up but now it does.”

He added: “There is also the possibility that the toxic contents of the lagoon could be sold as a fuel.

“If this happened it would help pay towards the clean-up operation.

“At the moment there are no power stations in this country capable of doing this, although there are in Europe.”