Soil quality procedure used on Olympic sites

The Environment Agency has revealed details of a procedure that has enabled the problem of poor soil quality to be rectified during the building of venues for the 2012 London Olympics.

According to leaders of the organisation, more than 1.5 million tonnes of contaminated earth has been treated by experts, with 90 per cent of this being reused in the construction process.

This forms a small part of the green legacy that the Olympics will leave, the agency has announced.

With the highly anticipated event just 12 months away, the body said various environmental upgrades have been made across East London, including the creation of natural habitats that are equivalent in size to 276 football pitches.

"With a year to go, we have already made huge improvements to the local environment and are beginning to see wildlife thrive," commented Environment Agency chairman Lord Chris Smith.

Earlier this year, the International Olympic Committee threatened London organisers that the city could face fines if air quality improvements are not made by the time the Games start.

Posted by Joseph Hutton