Premier Jay Weatherill has apologised to Clovelly Park residents about his government’s communication failures on toxic contamination in the suburb.

“There is no doubt that we have not done a good enough job to maintain community confidence in this issue; for that I am personally sorry,” he told a press conference this afternoon.

Weatherill’s admission came two weeks after the government was blind-sided by the Opposition in Parliament with revelations that 25 Clovelly Park homes would need to be evacuated due to contamination from the carcinogenic chemical trichloroethylene (TCE).

Yesterday the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) expanded its testing zone to cover more than 1000 homes in the southern suburbs which could be affected by contamination from local industrial sites.

Environment Minister Ian Hunter has been under pressure, particularly due to the fact that residents weren’t told about raised TCE levels inside their homes for about six weeks after the government received testing results showing vapours were above World Health Organisation guideline levels.

Today, Weatherill sought to re-set the issue, apologising to residents and promising to do better.

He said he wanted to start “with a blank piece of paper” on communicating with affected locals.

“I apologise to the residents of Clovelly Park and the wider community,” he said.

“We have to start the process afresh.”

He promised to extend free health checks to the widened testing area.

Residents in the affected area can phone the hotline – 1800 770 174 – to get information and consult a public health professional if they have any concerns in relation to TCE exposure.

If they then require a visit to the doctor for legitimate health concerns relating to TCE, the state government will pick up the tab.

The extension of taxpayer-funded health checks outside of the Clovelly Park homes this afternoon contradicted claims by Hunter this morning, during a testy interview on radio FIVEaa.

Hunter said health checks weren’t necessary “because there is absolutely no evidence at this stage that people have been exposed to anything at all”.

“You don’t make policy decisions without evidence … you just don’t,” he said.

A few hours later, that position had changed – although Weatherill insisted that he had confidence in Hunter and that he should bear equal criticism to his Environment Minister.

Hunter also softened his position, saying that it was “embarrassing” that the government couldn’t get its messages through.

– with reporting by Bension Siebert