A NEIGHBOURHOOD'S dream of creating an outdoor haven is back on track after a major setback.

For almost five months, gardeners were banned from the Timothy Terrace allotments, in Spennymoor, after potentially toxic substances, including arsenic and lead, were found in a sample of the earth.

Among those kept away from the site were volunteers from Eden Residents' Association, which is transforming two overgrown plots into a community garden called the Garden of Eden.

When the discovery was made, Spennymoor Town Council called in environmental experts from Sedgefield Borough Council to inspect the soil.

This week, the town council was told that, after a 19 week investigation, most of the earth was found not to pose a danger to human health.

All but three of the plots, which are rented by allotment holders, were reopened on Wednesday.

But a planned opening of the Garden of Eden this month will not go ahead because volunteers will have to redo all their hard work in clearing and preparing the site, which has become overgrown during the closure.

Volunteers will also have to replenish lost stock, including new fruit trees which died because they could not be planted during the summer.

Pauline Freeman, of Eden Residents' Association, said: "We are pleased we can go back onto the site but there are still issues to resolve.

"It has been a very disheartening process, and has taken a lot longer than we hoped.

"It has been difficult for the gardeners, and a huge setback for the Garden of Eden project.

"We're back where we started.

"The allotment holders are pulling together and the residents' association would appreciate help to get things going again for a spring opening."

Spennymoor Town Council will decide what to do with the three plots that are still causing concern when the allotments committee meets on Tuesday.

The council could replace the top 50cm of earth, retire the plots and lay a hard surface or ask for further tests, which environmental officers are confident will prove the site is safe.

Councillors have also asked that follow-up tests be carried out to ensure that the new top soil brought in is clean and that all produce grown and harvested in future is safe to eat.