We heard this week how a Corsham couple have been collecting signatures to stop diggers moving in to churn up toxic land near their homes.

Since Doreen Stevenson and her husband discovered there was toxic waste on the land, they have been trying to find out more about potentially harmful effects of picric acid, thought to be in the ground at the site. The acid forms a bitter, yellow compound used in dyeing, surgery and explosives. The chemical is the legacy of when an MoD weapons factory was based on the site.

Surely this should be a lesson to us that the quality of the ground beneath our feet should always be preserved, because you never know when toxins will raise their ugly head again or how harmful they could be.