TESTS ordered by a council in a row over toxic land on a housing estate revealed levels of potentially harmful chemicals 55 times higher than accepted standards, it was claimed in court.

North Lanarkshire Council was involved in a case in which 77 residents of the Watling Street area of Motherwell started proceedings with a view to securing remediation of the land on which their homes are built.

The figure was revealed at the Court of Session in Edinburgh yesterday where a solicitor representing the residents was trying to force the council to hand over results of its tests. The council has responsibility under Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act. It had no comment on the test results.

The houses were built near a former landfill site and is thought to be near the former site of a factory that produced harmful waste products.