Concerns have been raised for the safety of marine life in the East End after thousands of pieces of plastic were found in soil at a Government landscaping project lying next to the water's edge.

Shadow Environment Minister Kim Young said she feared severe winds or heavy downpours could carry the plastic waste on Kindley Field Road into Ferry Reach, where it would ultimately damage the marine life.

She said the plastic was included in landfill and soil that was being put down by Parks Department workers as part of a new project to landscape and replant along Kindley Field Road.

And while she praised the landscaping work, she questioned why the soil had not been sieved first in order to remove the unwanted debris before it was put down.

Mrs. Young said: "I have had a number of calls about the enhancement along Kindley Field Road. I have been down there twice now to investigate.

"The rubble and dirt that is being laid down appears to have large pieces of plastic bags and other objects that would seem not to be biodegradeable.

"It is deposited in piles alongside Ferry Reach where there is the danger of high winds or heavy rain causing this plastic to go into the water. This is not a good idea for the marine life."

Mrs. Young said she called the Department of the Environment and was told that everything on the site was considered environmentally friendly.

However, she added: "The people who walk along this route and myself think it is not environmentally friendly at all and want some answers that can justify how garbage bags and other forms of plastic can be considered environmentally friendly."

The Royal Gazette was unable to reach either Environment Minister Dennis Lister or the department's permanent secretary Brian Rowlinson yesterday.

But Jeremy Madeiros, the Government's conservation officer, said he had also been concerned about the debris and gave an assurance that he was monitoring the situation.

He said the pieces of plastic had come from the old dump and had been scraped up by the machinery from the bottom of the pile of compost that was needed for the landscaping.

He said: "What the workers were going into was the first of the horticultural waste that had been brought in. It was on top of the old fill, which had the plastic in it.

"The first batches that came out were fine, but when they started to scrape the bottom of the pile, there was quite a bit of plastic."

Mr. Madeiros said he did not want plastics in the soil and he was concerned.

But he added: "From what I understand, they were going to let the soil settle in a little bit. Part of the problem is that we have had very little rain over the last six weeks. We need rain to compact it in a little bit, then they will find it much easier to take out the plastic.

"They can do it when it's dry, but they will still need to do it after heavy rain, so they would only have to do it again. They want to get as much as possible first time round."

But Mr. Madeiros said if and when the workers used more of the compost, it is going to be taken from areas where it is not so far down in the old dump.

And he said in the meantime, he did not believe the plastic would cause problems to the marine life in Ferry Reach because debris did not normally wash down to the water in heavy rain at that location.

He added: "The workers did pick a lot of the plastic out as they saw it, but there are literally thousands of small pieces

"In another place, it might cause a problem, but there, I don't think it's going to be. But I'm going to watch it and make sure that everything is done.

"And if more plastic keeps popping up, we are going to be have to rethink."