On Tuesday 17 June, a number of stakeholders gathered for a public meeting in Bentham, Yorkshire, to inform and advise the community about ongoing concerns regarding the town’s pollution from PFAS (‘forever chemicals’). In a surprising reversal, Angus Fire Limited – the company widely blamed by residents for their ill health issues linked to PFAS pollution – chose not to attend the public meeting, leaving residents frustrated.
PFAS contamination in Bentham
Bentham has been described as having the highest known levels of PFAS contamination in the UK, it having been recorded on land belonging to Angus Fire Limited – a major employer in the town. Residential developments, playing fields and agricultural land close to the site were found to have exceptionally high levels of PFAS in the soil.
PFAS chemicals are becoming more widely known, thanks to nationwide studies and testing, and calls for a ban and restrictions on the entire class of over 10,000 separate PFAS chemicals are growing louder. Last week, a study was published that looked at the widespread pollution of UK rivers by ‘forever chemicals’ and drew attention to one particular PFAS chemical, trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), and its contamination levels.
Research continues to uncover more about the links and harms to human health posed by PFAS chemicals, and it is hoped that public meetings such as the one in Bentham will help increase public knowledge and awareness. Public health data for Bentham suggests that it is a ‘cancer hot spot’ compared to neighbouring areas, with deaths from all cancers and all age groups higher than the standardised mortality rate for England as a whole.
It is agreed that legacy contamination exists in Bentham. Samples from groundwater in 2008, recorded PFAS levels of 1,199,000ng/l – a staggering discovery, given that the government’s own environmental standard for PFOS is 0.65ng/l. A campaign group has been formed to question what Angus Fire knew, when they knew the information, and how they planned to remedy the situation.
Campaigners question extent of pollution
Mat Young, chair of the campaign group Cleaner Bentham, also raised concerns about the transparency and openness of Angus Fire’s information, commenting:
“On 17 June 2025, the following agencies and businesses (North Yorkshire Council Public Health, Health Standards Agency, Environment Agency, North Yorkshire Council Environmental Protection, Angus Fire, and Yorkshire Water) got together to advise the people of Bentham on the pollution situation caused by Angus Fire Limited via a public meeting in Bentham Town Hall.
“Cleaner Bentham has asked for copies of the documents they are relying on for the meeting we are told there are none. This raises a level of concern of what will be discussed, what information is being used as a basis for this meeting, and that the meeting is being used as a tool by Angus Fire to deceive and/or confuse the public on the seriousness of their pollution.
“The group hopes this is not the case and Angus Fire will willingly reveal information such as the results of their consultation with Manchester University in 2017, when they hired Dr Megson to provide consultation advice in 2017 after paying a £20k grant from Angus Fire for ‘PFAS analysis’. Manchester University As a group we have submitted questions to the panel most of which Angus Fires CEO and solicitors have refused to answer.”
Cleaner Bentham had submitted questions to Angus Fire Limited and its solicitors, but is still waiting for answers and is frustrated by Angus Fire’s lack of engagement with the community. A few of the questions are outlined here:
- Will Angus Fire test ex-employees and residents for PFAS contamination? If not, why not?
- Confirm what steps you will take to ensure the wellbeing of the local community.
- Confirm whether you will commit to funding blood testing in the local community, and if not, why not?
- Is Angus willing to provide the test results of tap water on their site as a sign of good faith?
Agencies respond to community concerns
As one of the bodies that did attend the information evening, the Environment Agency was asked for a statement. A spokesperson said:
“Alongside North Yorkshire Council, we are considering historic PFAS contamination from the Angus Fire site. The Environment Agency is responsible for regulating the permitted activities at the site and we continue to work with partners to address the concerns raised by the local community.
“We are currently reviewing Angus Fire’s environmental permit in relation to PFAS. We will continue to assess any risks associated with the historic presence of these chemicals, including potential contamination.”
As the questions to Angus Fire remain unanswered, it appears that the local community’s concerns are being ignored at this stage.
Is Bentham’s drinking water at risk?
Yorkshire Water pointed out that it does not take care of wastewater services in the village, and referred questions about the health of the River Wenning to United Utilities, despite previously having taken samples in the raw water catchment area.
Luke Montgomery, water quality compliance manager at Yorkshire Water, said:
“We take regular samples of raw water throughout the region every day to check its quality. In doing so, we are compliant with the expectations of the Drinking Water Inspectorate. Across England and Wales, water companies use a 3-point scale for PFAS levels, with Tier 1 being the lowest risk. All of the samples collected in the raw water catchment for Bentham and surrounding areas are within Tier 1, or lower, showing no concerns in regard to forever chemicals.
“Additionally, The Angus Fire site in Bentham is not within the direct raw water catchment for our treatment works that supplies the area with drinking water.”
Company silence fuels anger
Angus Fire, and their PR company Palatine Media, were asked for comment, but there was no response. The lack of engagement with the town of Bentham following the public meeting could prove to be a costly error for them, especially with legal teams watching events unfold in the town.
Commenting on their lack of attendance, Young said:
“We are disappointed that the government departments involved in the investigation into the pollution of our town are allowing Angus Fire to ‘police themselves’ and hand in evidence that may indicate that the pollution is not as bad as it actually is. We are also disappointed that Angus Fire’s CEO Paul Williams did not turn up. We feel this showed great disrespect to the residents that turned up to the meeting today.
“Cleaner Bentham is looking forward to its meeting with Bentham Town Council in early- to mid-July to discuss our 242-page environmental report with them, and the true impact on Bentham, its residents, and people along the Wenning and Lune that have been affected.”
As Bentham waits for answers, the community continues to push for transparency and accountability. With possible legal action looming and residents continuing to press for health testing and environmental disclosure, this small Yorkshire town may soon find itself at the centre of a landmark case – one that could set a national precedent for dealing with PFAS contamination in the UK.
