"Over time, this will continue until the peat disappears and you are down to the mineral, " the UEL researcher explains.

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The decision-panel decided that the UEL should get the grant despite scoring significantly lower than the bid which was deemed to have the best proposal.

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That bid, which involved a company called Freeman Oliver and the charity Barnardos, was rejected in favour of UEL's because the university was deemed more financially robust.

BBC: Mayor's mentoring programme comes under scrutiny