RESIDENTS are celebrating after winning a battle to have toxic substances cleared from their gardens.

The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has agreed to foot the £1.9m cleaning bill after a three-year campaign by about 100 families in Seaton Carew, near Hartlepool.

Serious concerns were raised by residents after abnormally high levels of lead, arsenic and zinc were found in soil surrounding homes in Wainwright Walk, Wainwright Close, Hornby Close, Cowley Close and Lithgo Close.

Initially, Defra had refused to pay for the work while investigations were carried out to identify who owned the land when it became contaminated.

But after relentless pressure from residents, backed by the town's MP, Iain Wright and Mayor Stuart Drummond, the Government department has agreed to step in and resolve the problem.

Margaret Mills, 62, of Lithgo Close, who is chairwoman of the Seaton Residents' Association, said: "I am very pleased that our hard fight is finally coming to a satisfactory conclusion.

"Some people who have wanted to sell their houses have had great difficulties because of the common knowledge of the land depreciation.

"If they haven't wanted to move, but wanted to remortgage, it is worthless on paper and there has also been the stress."

Mr Drummond said the battle will continue, because the cash will only pay for the land to be cleared of contamination and will not pay for it to be returned to its former state. He said: "It has been long awaited this decision and we have been pressing really hard.

"We are really pleased that residents have been patient this long and they have been supportive.

"It is good that they can relax and know this work is going to be done. Now the attention turns to the polluter, to get the rest of the money due."

The battle to identify who was responsible for the contamination has been a complicated one, because the land has changed hands a number of times over the decades.

One thought was that the problems date back to when the area was used to store pit props.

Lancashire firm Cheetham Hill Construction won the contract to carry out the work, which is expected to start next year.