LANDOWNERS, residents and polluters will be forced to clean up their own mess under new proposals.

Middlesbrough Borough Council's cabinet has given its backing to a strategy for contaminated land, setting out how the authority intends to bring it up to a standard suitable for use.

Under the proposals, if a site is judged to be contaminated, either the council or the Environment Agency must identify the person liable for the cost of cleaning it up.

A complex legal and consultative process to ensure the relevant work is carried out will follow.

As the strategy carries more than 20 grounds of appeal, a report to the cabinet predicts that "protracted inquiries and discussions are likely".

The document was drawn up in response to government environment Acts, which put the onus on councils in taking action over contamination. Over the next two to three years, the council will inspect the town for signs of pollution.

It expects to find the majority in the northern half of the borough.

In the cabinet report, Phillip Harper, head of public protection and planning, says: "The new regime provides the council with improved powers and duties to protect the environment and the health of the community.

"The legislation will be enforced sensitively, as many of the sites in need of risk assessment are in areas where regeneration activities are taking place and in socially deprived neighbourhoods."