A geotechnical site investigation was undertaken ahead of a proposed construction of industrial buildings on a site off Greenstead Road, Colchester which was formerly an oil storage depot. Fieldwork comprised the drilling of three boreholes using normal shell and augur methods. Borehole was drilled though the flexible surface but concrete had to be broken out at the site of boreholes 2 and 3. The results of these investigations showed that the sequence of deposits was similar over the site but the depth of each varied considerably. The general soil types encountered were:- concrete and made ground overlying clay alluvium, which overlay river terrace sand and gravels which in turn sealed London clay. The made ground ranged in thickness between 0.5 metres in borehole 1 and 0.9 metres in borehole 3. The maximum thickness of the alluvial clay was recorded in borehole 1where it extended between 0.5 metres below ground to 2.8 metres. The made ground and alluvial clay would appear to have been contaminated by oil products. The sand and gravel extended to depths of between 5.7 metres and 12.0 metres. In borehole 3 layers of peat and clay were encountered within the sand and gravels. Pockets of soft clay were noted at various depths. The general groundwater level was felt to be about 2.1 to 2.3 metres.<1>