VILLAGERS are to protest over a mass burial pit on the edge of their community.

Families at Tow Law, County Durham, plan to gather outside an identified foot-and-mouth disposal site this afternoon, to vent their fury at plans to dump 120,000 carcasses there.

Resident Jean White, 63, said that all the cattle in the village have been slaughtered, and it is unfair to bring diseased cattle into the area.

The 200-acre site lies half a mile from the village and residents are concerned at its close proximity to Blessed John Duckett RC Primary School.

Mrs White said: "People would say they didn't want this if they had the chance, but they haven't had the chance. We just got to know about this on Friday afternoon.

"We've got rid of all our diseased animals - there's only about two farms left with cattle. We haven't accepted this at all."

The former opencast land at Inkerman was bought from H J Banks by the Ministry of Agriculture (Maff) after it was approved by the Environment Agency and Durham County Council on Thursday.

Representatives from these organisations visited the village on Friday to meet residents.

A spokeswoman from Maff said: "One of the reasons we held the public meeting was to get this issue out in the open and to discuss with local people why the site was chosen.

"All the parties were happy with the site, including the council."

The protest will be held outside the Banks site, in Inkerman Road, at 2pm today.

Read more about Foot-and-Mouth here.