A YORK man says he fears the River Foss could be contaminated by pungent pools of blue water gathering near a stream on a former tip.

Paul Minton, from Monkton Road, found the blue pools near a stream which goes into the River Foss when walking his dog on the former tip known as Birch Park.

The land is owned by S Harrison Development Limited which is intending to apply for planning permission to build houses on it.

Mr Minton believes the seal of the tip has been broken and water from recent heavy rains soaked it and it is now draining out.

He said: "I think it is poison from the tip and might go into the river. Anything that smells that bad cannot be good for the fish.

"It looks like it is coming out of the ground. It has to be going somewhere and is flowing towards the beck."

The area is regularly used by nearby residents walking their dogs and children who play on the land.

A spokesman for S Harrison Development Limited said there was nothing on the site that would given cause for concern

He said: "We visited the site and have taken a sample of the liquid for testing purely as a precaution.

"However, all the signs are that the puddles contain natural organic material rotting down following a period of heavy rain.

"The site has been the subject of a comprehensive environmental report which confirms that there is nothing harmful on the site that would give any cause for concern.

"The site is private land and had been fenced off. It is our intention to re-erect fencing damaged by vandals and joy riders."

The City of York Council has investigated the pools and referred the matter to the Environment Agency.

A spokeswoman for the agency said: "Somebody has contacted us about this. We will investigate it in due course and notify the local authority. It is a contaminated land site and they might want to make their own investigations."

Updated: 08:24 Monday, August 12, 2002