ONE of about 600 Bangladeshi people, who claim they suffered arsenic poisoning because of a Swindon organization, has filed a writ in a damages case worth up to £30m.

Lucky Begum wants at least £15,000 from the Natural Environment Research Council, which is based at Polaris House in North Star.

She and the other claimants say the British Geological Survey, a depart-ment of the NERC, was negligent when testing well water in Bangladesh during research in 1992.

The claim is that the survey did not test for naturally occurring arsenic or make it clear that it had not done so.

The naturally-occurring arsenic was not discovered until the late 1990s, by which time, the claimants say, they had been poisoned.

Many of the alleged victims blame terminal illnesses on their consumption of contaminated water.

However, NERC spokeswoman Marion O'Sullivan said: "NERC is confident that it has no legal liability and will vigorously contest the claim.

"The Council and the Survey are deeply concerned about the tragic problem that is developing as a result of the presence of arsenic in the groundwaters of Bangladesh.

"They continue to be involved in assisting to establish the causes of the problem and finding solutions."

She added that the Council would be applying at the High Court later this month for the legal action by the Bangladeshis to be struck out on the grounds of no case to answer.