LORRY loads of animal carcasses infected with the foot and mouth disease will soon be heading for Lancaster's Nightingale Hall Farm, The Citizen can exclusively reveal.

The Ministry of Agriculture (MAFF) has effectively "requisitioned" the rendering plant on Quernmore Road in a bid to speed up the disposal of infected animals.

Thousands of slaughtered cows, sheep and pigs will be transported to Lancaster to be incinerated but local people are very concerned about the impact on the city.

There is a history of spillages of animal waste on roads leading to the plant and many of the carcasses will still be infected with the foot and mouth disease.

There are also fears that literally hundreds of trucks carrying infected carcasses could inadvertently spread the disease to local farms that have so far escaped the epidemic.

Environmentalist and local resident, John Whitelegg, said he wasn't surprised by the latest development despite assurances two weeks ago that Nightingale Hall Farm would not be used.

"This is abysmal news for Lancaster," he said. "We could be talking about a round-the-clock operation involving hundreds of lorries carrying carcasses that will still be infective. Lancaster will become a dustbin for slaughtered animals who will be brought here by road past schools and hospitals and through residential areas.

"Everyone who lives near the plant knows about the spillages, it's not going to be nice, and there's an increased chance of smells as it works flat-out to deal with the extra load."

A MAFF spokesman, Lizzie Blake, said: "We currently have two rendering plants in Cheshire and Devon assisting us. Two other rendering plants elsewhere in the country are being considered at the moment but nothing has been confirmed."