THE European Commission was last night poised to order the Government to close a controversial North-East foot-and-mouth burial site.

Families in Tow Law, County Durham, were horrified when the site was reopened on Sunday because of fresh outbreaks of the disease in Northumberland.

The Commission is already investigating the site. And last night, commissioners met to consider new evidence submitted by North-East Euro MP Stephen Hughes.

The latest twist came as the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) confirmed the 2,000th case of foot-and-mouth.

Mr Hughes is leading growing calls for the burial site - which can take up to 200,000 animals and is close to a school - to be shut.

He maintains the Government does not have the power to keep the site open while it is under investigation by the commission.

Defra maintains the site meets the Commission's requirements and says it was built and designed in consultation with the Environment Agency.

Speaking from Strasbourg, Mr Hughes said: "The commission must call for suspension of use of the site. If there's a danger to the health of the people of Tow Law then it has to be stopped.

"The commission can use the Precautionary Principal rule that says it has to be stopped until it is proved that it isn't a danger."

Central to the protestors' case are tests carried out on water in a beck near the site.

The analysis was carried out by Sunderland University scientist Dr David Abel, who discovered high levels of organic matter in the stream last month.

Dr Abel said: "The first batch of samples revealed significant levels of organic matter which were distinctly worrying. They were very, very high.

"The second batch were not so high, but significantly higher than normal.

"There are a number of risks associated with this site. The thing that concerns me is the risk that the pit lining will leak and allow a nasty organic liquid from decomposing animals to flow into the rivers."

As high-ranking Brussels officials considered the legal implications of the site, a well-organised army of mothers, children and grandmothers resumed their vigil at the gates of the former quarry.

Armed with eggs to throw at the lorries and sweets to keep the children happy, the protestors settled behind the windbreaks they had brought along, leaping from their deck chairs with jeers and taunts when wagons passed by.

Grandmother Maureen Ralphs, 58, said: "We're here because of the children. That's the main reason we started protesting.

"None of us have done anything like this before."

Defra maintains the burial site is needed because of insufficient rendering facilities to deal with the growing number of carcasses.

So far, 1,400 sheep and 275 cattle have been taken to Tow Law since the site was reopened at the weekend.

Last month, The Northern Echo exclusively revealed a secret plan to reopen the site if foot-and-mouth was not stamped out by autumn.

Defra officials are also examining plans to reopen the site at Widdrington in Northumberland.

Peter Lister, a member of the Tow Law residents' liaison committee with Defra, said he had formally lodged complaints with the European Commission.

He said: "Wherever there is an outbreak, we take it. It is beyond belief. The European Commission can call for the closure of the site and that is our best hope.

Read more about the foot-and-mouth crisis here.