Thousands of communities blighted by landfill sites can look forward to a greener future, with dumps being transformed into woodlands.

A ten-year study has found that it is possible to grow mature and sturdy trees on land once used to dispose of liquid, clinical and hazardous waste without any threat of leakage in the local environment.

The results will delight supporters of the Campaign to Protect Rural England and Friends of the Earth, which have been monitoring the impact on nearby households of landfill sites and the daily convoy of waste lorries.

Five former dumping grounds near Bristol, Swindon, Hatfield, Ely and Skelmersdale have been monitored to find out how various tree varieties fared when planted above a compacted clay cap. The fastest-growing trees were poplar, alder, cherry, whitebeam, ash and Corsican pine, but oaks also thrived with sufficient rainfall.

These trees were able to grow in a soil bed of only 1.5 metres (5ft) on top of the clay cap. There were fears that the roots of the trees would penetrate the cap or that the cap would crack and weather. But the study shows that the roots of 98 per cent of all trees planted were contained within the 1.5m layer of soil. In areas of southern England that suffer drought it is envisaged that a deeper soil cover would be required to ensure enough moisture to keep mature trees healthy.

Guidance is now to be issued to local authorities by the Environment Agency on how to transform these blots on the landscape to create neighbourhood parks, woods and nature reserves.

The move is also seen as an important new tool in the Government's commitment to tackle climate change - planting one hectare of trees can lead to the absorbtion of six tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year - and to regenerate brownfield land.

The prospect of trees growing on rubbish tips cannot come soon enough for the villagers of Albury, near Guildford. They have been campaigning to restore the view at Newlands Corner, a local beauty spot that is part of the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. A nearby former quarry has long been used as a landfill site and residents detest the sight and sound of the lorries as well as the ugliness of the site.

Tim Harrold, chairman of the CPRE in Surrey, said: “The dump is coming to the end of its life and work is already in progress to build a clay cap. But we want the site to be restored to its former woodland glory as soon as possible. It has been so ugly with so many lorries and, frankly, it will be bliss when it all stops. I think the trees recommended by the Forestry Commission are indigenous to the area and I hope the council gets on to this as soon as possible.”

With 4,000 licensed landfill sites, the research is certain to give hope to hundreds of villages and suburbs.

Iain Wright, the Planning Minister, said: “Many people find landfill sites an eyesore and the Government is committed to reducing landfill use. This new research shows that, with proper safeguards in place, we can reduce the impact of old sites by planting them and environmentally reviving them as attractive woodland or parkland.”

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