DUDLEY councillors have bowed to public pressure to refuse a housing application on land on a toxic former landfill site in Woodsetton.

Around 50 residents living around the site off Bourne Street, packed into the Development Control Committee room to object against plans for the residential development, on the site which has now become a haven for wildlife including bats and badgers.

The site was a former quarry, but was in filled between the 1950s and 1980s which included illegally tipped toxic and hazardous waste, which residents feared would be disturbed if the development went ahead.

Margaret Holden, speaking on behalf of the residents, said: “Surely no one should be expected to live on this filth. We just can’t believe anyone would allow people to live on this site which has not been deemed safe.

“The residents on the Bramford estate will be fearful of our lives if this goes ahead.”

The application, which was not deemed safe for tree planting to celebrate the millennium, was recommended for approval by council planners, who argued the site needed to be remediated to be made safe at a huge cost and this was the ideal opportunity.

Councillor Rachel Harris, said: “I feel very uneasy about this site being disturbed.

“We don’t know what’s on site. If we’re not actually clear about what’s there and there is no proper records apart from resident observations of what’s gone into the ground, how can we make a positive decision to allow this to go through.

“If we don’t know what’s there, how do we know what’s going to happen.”

Councillors unanimously rejected the application.