[danconfessed]

I have just dug out about 100ft of ditch adjoining my property.  The majority of the spoil is black and smelly but once it dries out doesn't tend to smell.  Although most of the water running through it is rainwater I do believe it also includes the overflow from neighhbouring cesspits.   Does anyone know if I can use this soil in my garden or to use raised beds?

Logically i'm thinking that it will be high in nutrients and a good fertiliser and the other half is thinking/ toxic/ dangerous?

[waterbuffalofarmer]

It may be worth getting it tested to make sure. If there is any sewage at all I would say NO!!!! It would be better to get it tested to make sure, after all we don't want harmful stuff ingested via soil do we?

[cloddopper]

 Anerobic " slub " like that is indeed full of nutrients , it can have a cementing effect on already clay soil .
 The 18 acres of inert land fill that backed on the rear of our property was covered to a depth of 4 feet in such slub ,then once dry a two foot blanket of cleaned demolition spoil was bulldozed over it by me . I planted several thousand cuttings  over the area  .

Check out Google earth with post code pe134bj , from the road & the grey house on the south side edge of Gull Drove south for several hundred yards . Those trees were started 16 years ago .

   Dave now does GE on that post code , to check they are still there .
 

[Marches Farmer]

If you get it tested and there are cesspit residues then involve your local public health office.  This type of effluent is not something you want anywhere near you and they can put a tracer dye in the offending cess pit to find out the source of the problem and enforce remedial action if necessary.  Happened to a neighbour of ours a couple of years ago when lorries bringing in rubble to build up the ground level of her neighbour's riding arena fractured underground pipes.  The smell from the runoff made poultry manure smell like something by Balmain in contrast.