THE GOVERNMENT has bought back 155 acres of land around Tilesford Park near Pershore for an undisclosed sum and turfed off the tenant farmer and his animals.

The news comes as MAFF has disclosed that some 60,000 sheep and cattle have so far been buried at the Throckmorton site.

Maff granted itself a special licence to move Paul Dunne's cattle and sheep to various locations in the Vale after giving him 24 hours notice to quit the site next to the former airfield - now being used to bury tens of thousands of culled animals from across at least three counties.

Mr Dunne, of Peopleton said: "I was given a choice - either agree to the slaughter of my 75 ewes with lambs and 43 cattle and get compensation or move them with Maff's assistance.

"I also had 100 acres planted for silage to feed them during the winter which is now gone, hopefully I'll be compensated."

The newly acquired land used to belong to the Ministry of Defence but was sold off when the runway, built during the second world and used up until about 25 years ago, was no longer needed

A long row of family homes, formerly for servicemen and women, were also sold off to private buyers, and together with a residential home for the elderly, lie within the 155 acres.

The estimated multi-million pound buy-back by Maff has raised residents' fears. They want to know what the government are going to use the land for, and whether the promise not to burn animals in the area still stands.

Bishampton and Throckmorton Annual parish meeting was due to take place last night. Chairman, Terry Hall said: "Villagers have reported lorry loads of coal and railway sleepers going onto the site. The explanation is the land is also being used as a storage depot for fuel for farms where animals are being burned but no-one has seen fuel lorries leaving.

"We have been very understanding so far - we know the animals have got to be buried somewhere and have accepted it at Throckmorton, but we are adamant that we will not tolerate burning."

He said the meeting would be used to judge the villagers' strength of feeling as to what action to take if the situation changed and the MAFF started burning. He admitted that ome residents would be prepared to block the roads with their cars, in the worst scenario.

A government press officer for Maff, specially drafted in to field press enquiries, said: "At this moment we have absolutely no intention to burn at Thockmorton. It is a burial site which suits our purpose well.

"We bought the extra land to create a zone around the burial site." He admitted, however, that lagoons may be created to cope with seepage from rotting carcasses underground.

"They would be well away from any houses towards the adjacent landfill site," he added.

He would not say how much the government paid for the 155 acres but said the price reflected the land's development potential.

According to Pershore estate agent Robert Johnson, farming land goes for about £3,000 an acre - with planning permission the price shoots up to between £150,00 and £180,000 per acre. l