Work is taking place to improve the monitoring of closed landfill sites at the Point of Ayre.

Existing boreholes are being refurbished and a new series of boreholes drilled.

The Department of Infrastructure explained that the works are all designed to improve its programme of leachate and groundwater monitoring in the area.

Work began on Monday last week and is expected to take another three weeks to complete.

A total of 15 new boreholes are being drilled, ranging from five to 15m in depth.

So far, four to five have been completed.

The new boreholes are mainly within the boundary of the old landfill sites. None fall within the Ayres National Nature Reserve and Area of Special Scientific Interest.

One is within the Ayres gravel pit area of special protection and will be used to monitor groundwater near the western lake.

Once completed, the new boreholes will be capped and then made flush with ground level.

The timing of the works has been planned to avoid the bird breeding season and the method of working aims to minimise any disturbance to vegetation.

To allow for the work to go ahead a temporary works depot has been set up on the old access to Wright’s Pit East landfill site.

The project will involve the use of a range of plants and equipment, and the public is asked to avoid the working areas.

Wright’s Pit East, to the south of the Point of Ayre, was in use up to the early years of this century until the island’s Energy from Waste Plant came on line.

Since then coastal erosion has meant that the edge of the site is getting ever closer to the sea.

A second landfill site, Wright’s Pit North at Bride is scheduled to close in 2019.

It currently handles the disposal of problematic waste, including material such as asbestos and plasterboard that cannot be accepted at the Energy from Waste Plant.