A 25-acre site south of Lockerbie is being prepared for the mass burial of slaughtered sheep north of the Border.

A pit the length of a football pitch - which will be deep enough to dump the carcasses of 250,000 animals - is being excavated.

The aim is to have the site at Birkshaw Forest, five miles from Lockerbie, ready to start burying the sheep on Wednesday.

The work was being carried out by diggers and earth moving machines as four further cases of foot-and-mouth were confirmed in Dumfries and Galloway, taking the Scottish total to 92.

Confirmed farms in Scotland include

92 cases on 27 March Lockerbie (13 cases) Canonbie (12) Gretna (17) Lochmaben(4) Twynholm(2) Langholm Beattock(5) Corrie Ruthwell(5) Tundergarth Moffat (2) Dalton(2) Torthorward Mouswald(6) Hightae(3) Kirtlebridge(2) Creca Collin(2) Kirkpatrick Fleming(2) Annan (3) Troqueer New Abbey(2) Haugh of Urr St Anns Eastriggs Ecclefechan

And it has emerged that more army personnel will be brought into the area to help with the pre-emptive cull.

By Friday there should be 220 soldiers in Dumfries and Galloway, which will enable the slaughter rate to be increased to 10,000 sheep a day.

The pit being dug near Lockerbie is 110 metres long, 16m wide and six metres deep.

The area has been checked to make sure it is suitable for the trenches, and Alasdair MacNeil from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency says he has no concerns.

The site is in close proximity to infected farms in Gretna and Dumfries and will be used to initially bury unaffected sheep that have been culled within the 3km zone.

The vice chairman of the Dumfries and Galloway National Farmers Union, Robin Spence, said locals did not like the idea of being near a mass burial ground, but saw it as the only way to eradicate the disease.

"It would be very easy to say not in my backyard, but it has to be somewhere and if we are to have any hope of fighting this disease then we have to get on top of it," he said.

He said the region had endured a frustrating period without a site for the burial of carcasses and acting in a quick and efficient manner was the key to conquering the disease.

Up and running

"We've got to take the broader picture here. If we don't stop this in Dumfries and Galloway there is going to be no stock elsewhere in the country for us to re-stock from," he said.

And he added: "There has been talk of vaccination and then slaughter. Personally I can't see the point of vaccinating then slaughtering. Get this slaughter thing up and running quickly."

He said that he did not feel it would be a long term option.

Local Councillor Andrew Bell told BBC Scotland that people were surprised that mass burial had not taken place far sooner.

More army personnel are being brought in

He said: "I think a lot of locals have been thinking 'why on earth aren't they burying rather than burning these animals'.

"I'm sure all the local agencies have been brought in on this and every possible safety precaution will be taken."

Meanwhile, the Scottish Tourist Board has expressed concern over the reporting of the epidemic and the affect it is having on the industry.

STB chief executive Peter McKinlay said: "We are very concerned about the reporting of foot-and-mouth, particularly abroad, and want to ensure that messages about Scotland being open for business are seen far and wide."

Mr McKinlay added that the board's website would continue to encourage visitors to the country.