WORK has finally begun on restoring the controversial Ash Moor pit which was built at the height of the foot and mouth crisis to take 400,000 animals but never used.
Contractors BT Jenkins from Exeter moved onto the site near Petrockstowe last week to begin an eight week contract to remove the artificial pit liners.
Local residents who campaigned against the site being used because of potential public health and environmental hazards said they were pleased work had begun but would not be truly happy until its future use had been confirmed.
Ron Dawson from action group ?Stop the Ash Moor Pit? said: We will only be completely happy when engineering work starts to landscape the land, the pits are levelled and the nature conservation work gets under way.?
Devon County Council was offered the chance to purchase the site but turned it down because of the £350,000 price tag.
West Devon MP John Burnett is putting pressure on DEFRA to reinstate the site at their own cost.
?This pit was a mistake of mammoth proportions which has cost the British taxpayer millions of pounds,? he said. ?DEFRA should hand over the restored site to the Devon Wildlife Trust at no cost once the work has been completed.?
The Ash Moor Pit cost £5.6 million to build and £20,000 a week to maintain. The second phase of the restoration work is due to start in the new year but DEFRA has confirmed that no decision had been made regarding the future development of the site.
A spokesman said discussions were still continuing with Devon County Council.