BEING generous, we expect that a few days ago senior managers at the University of Oxford and Oxford City Council just put their heads in their hands and let out a heavy sigh.

The spill of diesel at the Castle Mill student building site and the ensuing secrecy would be bad enough at any time but coming now, it has the real potential to further poison lingering trust in either organisation over the controversial student accommodation scheme.

The history of this sorry saga is well-rehearsed. Many opponents of the scheme feel the council gave the buildings planning permission before anyone realised the visual impact on views across Port Meadow.

At best it could be said the whole process was bungled from a transparency point of view.

And now we learn that three months ago “a quantity” of diesel was spilled at the site, almost certainly the reason for contaminated groundwater readings.

Yet this fact has only just emerged... along with a warning to nearby allotment holders not to drink any water from their irrigation wells and to wash their produce well. Not reassuring to those who grow their own fruit and veg.

The University says it has only just found out about the spill and immediate steps were then taken to notify the Environment Agency and Oxford City Council.

That may be so, but the University must establish why it was not informed of the incident n April when it happened. And it must make its findings public. It appears that this is not a small quanitiy of diesel that has caused such poison.

Not to find and make known how it is taking action would be absolutely toxic to any hope of it being viewed as a good neighbour.