Monitoring PFAS contamination at the Hillhouse industrial estate

Thornton-Cleveleys, Lancashire

The Hillhouse industrial estate has been a site of fluorochemical production since the 1950s — first under ICI, then under AGC Chemicals Europe from 1999. PFAS contamination has been detected in local soil, water, food and residents' blood. AGC confirmed on 14 September 2026 that it is closing the plant, with production expected to cease by 31 December 2026.

This site brings together publicly available data from Environment Agency permits, academic research, council investigations, and food safety assessments. In 2026 the Environment Agency concluded that two local allotment sites, Occupation Road (March) and Sandringham Avenue (August), meet the criteria for contaminated land under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act. Where information is missing or incomplete, we say so.

New here, or just seen this on the news? Start with our plain-English introduction: what PFAS are, what Hillhouse is, what has been found and where, and what you can do.

98.6% of soil samples contained detectable PFOA (287 of 291, Phase 2 soil testing for the Environment Agency in gardens and open space within 500m of the facility, fieldwork February to March 2025)
About 145 tonnes of PFOA released to air and water from the Hillhouse site between the 1950s and 2012, under ICI then AGC, according to an Environment Agency estimate. AGC's own figures give about 103 tonnes; the difference has not been explained in public documents (The Numbers)
~783 kg (2019) of EEA-NH4 (a replacement fluorochemical) discharged to the River Wyre under Environment Agency permit in 2019, the latest published figure (Environment Agency risk evaluation, April 2023, p.68)
Group 1 carcinogen PFOA classified as "carcinogenic to humans" by WHO/IARC, November 2023
Egg advisory FSA advised against eating eggs from poultry kept "within 1km of the Hillhouse site" (Wyre Council, February 2026)
69.4% of the 49 residents tested were above 20 ng/ml, the threshold at which US guidance advises additional health screening, according to press reports (testing arranged by Leigh Day, results given 23 September 2026). These results describe the people tested, not the wider population (what the results show)
Contaminated land criteria met The Environment Agency concluded Occupation Road Allotments meets the Part 2A criteria, based on PFOA in soil and produce (Wyre Council, 5 March 2026). Sandringham Avenue Allotments followed in August 2026 (Wyre Council letter to residents, 12 August 2026; see What To Do)

About this site: Hillhouse Watch is an independent, volunteer-run effort to compile publicly available information about PFAS contamination at the Hillhouse estate. It is not part of any company, regulator or law firm, and it receives no funding from any of them. It is run by a local resident who is a client of Leigh Day in its investigation of a possible claim (About). If you have information that corrects or adds to what's here, please get in touch.