Decontamination service launched

A new central decontamination service has been launched by the Government this week, to help authorities and organisations prepare for and deal with the consequences of chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) spills into the environment.


It will be operational from this summer onwards, providing expert advice and guidance on decontaminating infrastructure, buildings and the environment after CBRN incidents.

“The new decontamination service will have a UK_wide remit to help those responsible for clearing up after a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear incident, such as local authorities, to make sure they have considered and planned for decontamination. It will also ensure that if there were such an incident, authorities would be able to call upon a carefully assessed panel of specialist companies to carry out the decontamination operations,” Elliot Morley, Environment Minister said.

The service will:


  • provide advice and guidance to responsible authorities during their contingency planning for CBRN incidents;
  • assess the ability of companies in the private sector to carry out decontamination operations;
  • advise central government on the national capability for the decontamination of buildings and the environment in the event of a major release of CBRN materials;
  • it will also help co-ordinate decontamination operations if required.

    The new service is part of the cross government Resilience Programme, led by the Home Office. It will cover the whole of the UK.

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