A controversial report into pollution at a beauty spot is being made available to the public for the first time, thanks to a vigorous campaign by the Shields Gazette.

Earlier this month the newspaper published extracts from a leaked copy of a report, commissioned by South Tyneside Council, which warned of dangerous toxins present around Trow Rocks, a former landfill site from the 1950s.

And after exclusively breaking the story, the paper demanded the entire document be made public more than a year after it was delivered into council hands without residents and visitors being told.

Editor John Szymanski said: “We received a leaked copy of the report from an unidentified source and we believed the public had a right to know its contents.

“The council contested that it was only a draft, but we felt it was fairly exhaustive and highlighted the dangerous toxins on this site.”

The paper’s fight also received backing from environmental group Friends of the Earth, opposition councillors and readers, and the council has now agreed to display the document at the town hall between 2pm and 7pm today (Thursday).

Visitors won’t be allowed to take the report away with them, but they will be provided with a ten-page summary.

John said: “If it wasn’t for the actions of the Gazette and the support we have received from councillors and the public, this report would probably not have come to light.

“I’d like to thank all the staff at the Gazette for their hard work on this. We have used a lot of established journalistic practices and sheer doggedness to get this story out into the open and to make sure it is told in a clear and forthright way.

“I genuinely believe that campaigning on major issues like this are what local newspapers are all about.”

Although a victory for the Gazette, John said the paper would like the council to provide further access to the report.

He said: “We’d like the public to be able to read the report on request, uncensored and in its entirety. We also want the council to publish it on its website in the interest of openness and transparency.

“The Gazette will also be pressing for measures to be taken to clean the site up as quickly as possible to make it safe.”

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