begun.

Deputy Governor Peter Willis said that officials are on the Island and their aim over the next couple of months will be to get rid of millions of gallons of waste oil that was dumped in caves near the old HMS Malabar.

Mr. Willis said: "They are here and they have started the clean up and they will be here off and on for a while. They are already up there working there on the site.'' While he could not say how long the project was expected to take, Mr. Willis said the workers were all employees of the British Ministry of Defence.

Mr. Willis said that he was pleased to see the work begin because it was the realisation of a pledge that Governor Masefield had made earlier this year.

"We are now seeing the promises translated into action which is what everyone wants to see.'' Governor Masefield's promise came after he had toured the site at Dockyard where waste oil from Royal Navy ships was pumped for decades.

The contaminated cave system extends under the old Casemates Prison up as far as its replacement Westgate.

The oil sludge -- some perhaps as old as the turn of the century -- was discovered in 1995 by a consultant hired to do an environmental study of the Navy base just prior to its closure.

Beyond a roped-off section where a wall was broken down by the consulting firm, the cave floor is thick with black sludge and there is a strong smell of oil.

The UK Ministry of Defence, on behalf of the Royal Navy, will pay for the clean-up.

ENVIRONMENT ENV