Residents have again confronted Ministry of Agriculture (Maff) officials over the long-term implications of burying carcasses on fell land they say is riddled with old mine-workings.

The Environment Agency is investigating claims made by protestors at Tow Law, County Durham, that a mass grave at Inkerman is unsafe because it has been built over shafts and tunnels going back to the 1500s.

Wagons full of carcasses are still arriving at the site, where a liaison group from the village met Maff officials and representatives from the Environment Agency yesterday morning.

At a Tow Law town council meeting on Wednesday night protestors complained of "disgraceful treatment" at the hands of the ministry, and called for dumping to be stopped.

Council chairman Jenny Flynn said yesterday: "There are some extreme concerns about the long-term safety of the site. The site licence was issued subject to all conditions being complied to by May 31. This seems the wrong way to operate a site such as this."