Poisoning claim

Some 600 sick Bangladeshi nationals are bringing the case against the Natural Environment Research Council, which has its head office near Swindon Station at North Star.

Many are terminally ill with cancer and others have conjunct-ivitis and severe skin conditions.

The case stems from water tests carried out in 1992 by the British Geological Survey, a department of NERC, which failed to discover arsenic contamination in Banglad-eshi ground water.

Scientists tested the water drawn from 150 tube-wells in central and northern Bangladesh.

These wells were some of the thousands dug by international organisations in the 1970s and 1980s to tap ground water because it was thought to be cleaner than polluted surface water.

In the late 1990s it was discovered that this ground water contains naturally occurring arsenic.

Millions have been poisoned and suffered cancer and a host of other serious illnesses as a result.

But only those drinking from the 150 wells tested by the NERC are bringing this case.

If could lead to a total of around 2,000 claimants seeking damages of up to £15,000. London law firm Leigh, Day and Co is one of two pursuing the case, paid for by legal aid.

It is working in conjunction with the Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust.

One claim has been made on behalf of Sutradhar Bari, a 44-year-old married father of four who used to be a carpenter.

He began to develop melanosis in 1992 after drinking water contamin-ated with arsenic from his local well.

This skin condition, which causes dark spots to appear, has led to keratosis severe ulceration on his hands and feet.

This, in turn, could lead to cancer and he is now too ill to work.

Mr Bari's claim for £15,000 damages is considered a test case that could lead the way to others also taking legal action.

Lawyer Bozena Michalowska-Howells said: "The British Geological Survey carried out a survey in 1992 to test the toxicity of water and the chemical character.

"According to World Health Organisation guidelines they should have included arsenic in those tests which they did not.

"If they'd found it in 1992 they would have been able to start an arsenic mitigation programme much earlier than they did."

She claimed that if well-users had known of the risks they could have used filters to remove the arsenic.

The NERC has been based in Swindon for 20 years and employs 200 people.

It is a Government-funded quango with an annual budget of £200 million set up to fund and carry out environmental research.

The body denies there is any claim to answer and plans to contest the claim and the case could take several years to settle.

NERC spokeswoman Hilary Heason said: "In 1992 alluvial plains, such as those in Bangladesh, were not established as a type of geological context in which arsenic was likely to be a problem.

"The British Geological Survey does not accept that it can be blamed for the suffering which has occurred and any legal claims, which we regard as wholly misconceived, will be resisted.

"However, BGS remains committed to carrying out research in this area and to making a contribution to the international effort to solve this problem."