COUNTY council deputy leader Bill Chapple is furious that more animal remains from the foot and mouth epidemic are being brought into Bucks for disposal.

The first train load of 1,200 tonnes of ash from animals burned on pyres arrived from Cleveland at the Shanks McEwan waste disposal site at Calvert, north of the county, last Friday and it was dumped in trenches. Two more weekly 20-wagon trains could come in the next eight to ten weeks, each carrying 1,200 tonnes in 60 sealed containers.

Cllr Chapple, who was informed of the decision by the new Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) last Thursday, said the county council was powerless.

Buckinghamshire has been free of foot and mouth throughout the epidemic, he said, adding: "I can't see the logic that says 'let's move ash through several country miles to a clean area because we want to get rid of it.

"This is the sort of crazy decision we had from MAFF. They may have changed their name since the elections, but this is still a crazy decision." He added he was not convinced the process was risk-free because the remains might not be completely reduced to ash.

DEFRA, which has to dispose of 130,000 tonnes of remains of funeral pyres before the weather deteriorates, asked Shanks to take some.

Viki Fox, communications manager for Shanks, said the best way to dispose of it would be reburning in high temperature incinerators which would reduce it in volume and make it safer, but there were so few of these incinerators this would take three years.

Shanks, UK's largest private disposal company, has landfill sites and incinerators, but agreed to the disposal in landfill sites.

Viki Fox, Shanks spokesman, said the company had assurances the risk was minimal and DEFRA said the waste should not be classified as hazardous. She said Shanks wanted to help the government in this crisis.