THIS was the moment farmers across Worcestershire had been waiting for.

Yesterday, thousands of uninfected animals were tipped into the 16ft deep trench at Throckmorton airfield - taking the total to at least 9,000 carcases, today.

There are still more than 17,000 'clean' sheep, pigs and cattle from across Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire, to be collected and driven to the site.

At 2pm the first truck emptied its load into the pit.

While diggers moved the livestock around at one end another carried on digging at the other.

The pit could reach half-a-mile in length.

The only sounds to be heard at the disused airfield were those of generators and lorries.

No one spoke. The sight was overwhelming. The smell worse than you can imagine.

"It's an unpleasant business," said Capt George Griffin of the Green Howards Infantry Regiment.

"It's very difficult because it's such a relief that we're finally getting this done.

"But when you see it, it's horrific."

One by one, lorries reverse to the edge of the trench and open up their trailers.

Livestock, slaughtered only because they were kept near to infected farms, tumble out.

"What we're seeing here is not as simple as a load of animals going into the ground," said Capt Griffin.

"It's all the people that have been affected as well."

The regiment's chaplain, Padre Adrian Pollard, has also travelled with the soldiers.

As well as talking to the soldiers about the sights they see he is available to everyone else involved in the operation.

"I'm just a sounding board for everyone. It's not something they'll be wanting to talk about when they get home," said Mr Pollard.

"I'm incredibly proud of the soldiers I'm working with.

"They're trained for a lot of things but not for rounding up cattle and supplies of coal.

"They'll be very tired when they finish this, but quite proud to do a difficult job well."

After each truck has emptied its load it joins a queue to be disinfected.

Each truck is meticulously cleaned with power hoses, from top to bottom, inside and out, before driving off to collect more dead animals to bring to the pit.