Residents of Mapua in Nelson will get free medical check-ups following a clean-up of  the town’s former pesticide plant.

Residents say they were exposed to toxic chemicals and suffered ill health during the clean-up of the Fruitgrowers Chemical Company site near Nelson.

Measures to address these concerns were announced by the government on Thursday.

They include blood tests for dioxin exposure for people living near the site, free GP checkups and funding for a study of their chemical exposure.

Mapua resident Jill Reade says the community welcomes the assistance.