Work has started on preparing the site of a new sand and gravel quarry near Romsey.

Ron Isaac, in his 50th year with the Raymond Brown Group, officially broke the ground at Roke Manor Quarry, Shootash as the firm’s directors looked on.

The site will see the extraction of 750,000 tonnes of sand and gravel at a rate of 125,000 tonnes per year from 2015. “As the mineral is extracted, the site will be filled with inert construction material and afterwards, restored back to agricultural land at existing levels, “says Raymond Brown Minerals and Recycling.

Before extraction begins a site office will be built. It’s expected that lorries will start taking aggregate off the site in spring.

The firms says the site, which will employ five new staff, should be restored to its original state by 2025.

The project involves a 30-year woodland management plan, including tree planting, to protect dormice which were found on site during early investigations. Ron’s son Mark Isaac, managing director of Raymond Brown Aggregates, stated: “This is an exciting new opportunity for Raymond Brown. We are an environmentally responsible organisation, operating a number of sand and gravel quarries within Hampshire, Wiltshire, Dorset and Berkshire.”