A Lancashire council has urged residents to use 'common sense' when deciding whether to eat food produced near a former chemical plant.
Samples of food grown at allotments near the former AGC Chemicals and ICI Hillhouse plant in Thornton-Cleveleys had eight times the safe level of a carcinogen.
According to a report by the BBC, Wyre Council leader Michael Vincent said "it's probably best not to eat fruit and vegetables grown in the ground there".
The council had launched a probe into potential contamination of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) on the site last year.
Mr Vincent told a recent meeting of councillors that the authority would be contacting the public and allotment owners within 1km (0.6 miles) of the plant.
He said he was aware of a similar situation in Dordrecht, in the Netherlands, in which the public were advised not to eat local food.
There, residents were advised by authorities not to eat produce grown in the ground within 1km of a contaminated site.
"My view is that this is the correct approach," Mr Vincent told the BBC, adding: "We are suggesting people think for themselves and make a common sense decision."
Guidance issued by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) details that any such produce should be washed and peeled before being consumed.
