The 14 sites are included on a list of more than 1000 contaminated sites across NSW, compiled by the Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) from compulsory reports to the Environment Protection Authority.

They include 11 past and present service station sites in Bathurst, Bathurst West and Kelso, the gasworks site, the Crago Mill site on Piper Street and the Yetholme CCA timber treatment plant on Eusdale Road.

The EPA’s report says it is still waiting for further information to complete its assessment of six of the Bathurst region sites, while none of the sites was considered to be contaminated enough to warrant ongoing regulation by the EPA.

The gasworks’ inclusion on the list continues the site’s long history as a thorn in the side of local authorities.

The site is owned by the Crown but has not been used since AGL ceased gas production there in 1987.

In 2006, Bathurst Regional Council entered into an agreement with the EPA to partly remediate the site, with funding made available by the previous state government.

That work has included removing tarry wastes from disused structures on the site and installing groundwater monitoring wells to assess the impact the gasworks has on surrounding soils and groundwater.

And it’s not just the contaminants on the soil that have Councillor Bobby Bourke concerned.

Cr Bourke, who has long campaigned to have the gasworks site remediated, yesterday said he would also like to see most of the buildings razed.

“I’m all for preserving the front building, but I would like to see the rest knocked down,” he said.

“It’s a dangerous spot that has been neglected for years and I think someone will fall off the taller building when they’re in there snooping around where they shouldn’t be.

“I caught two blokes in there just the other day.”

Under amendments to the Contaminated Land Management Act 1997, land owners and occupiers are required to notify the EPA if they believe the site is contaminated.

The list of the state’s most contaminated sites has been compiled from these reports.

For the full list, go to www.environment.nsw.gov.au