Bradford Health Officers Warning Not To Eat Crops On Flooded Plots

Monday, 22 February 2016 10:36

Holders of allotments and gardens affected by the recent floods are being advised not to eat any crops still in the ground.

Bradford Council's Environmental Health department is acting on advice from Public Health England and the Food Standards Agency by warning people whose allotments flooded that there is some risk of contamination to their crops.

Allotment holders are also being encouraged to allow a six-month time lapse before consuming any uncooked crops or produce planted since the flooding to allow the microbial balance of the soil to return to normal.

This is because flood water may have included sewage and other waste which contains bacteria and other contaminants.

Sediment which has washed on to the land during flooding is unlikely to pose a problem, unless the deposits come from a potentially contaminated area, such as a landfill site. But anyone cleaning up waste material is advised to regularly wash their hands.

Coun Arshad Hussain, whose portfolio includes Environmental Health, said: "We are not telling people that their soil is contaminated, but that because it has been covered with flood water, they should just exercise some caution when it comes to their produce."

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