ALMOST 73,000 tonnes of soil will be used to fill in two large holes in the ground at a former opencast mine near Crossgates.

Fife firm John Collier and Sons want to continue restoration work at Muirdean by dealing with the remaining settlement lagoons and have submitted proposals to Fife Council.

It will take up to four years and an added benefit will be the safety of wildlife as swans have had to be rescued after getting stuck in drainage channels, which will be capped.

Their planning agent, Alistair Smith from AMS Associates, explained: "This proposed project would complete a further phase of the restoration works in this area of the site which has been put forward for a restoration award.

"The scheme has been designed to the highest standard to minimise potential environmental impacts.

"This would be achieved by seeding as soon after the area has been profiled and soil coverage is complete."

Four settlement lagoons were used when the mine was in operation, two have already been filled in and the land levelled.

The two remaining lagoons are roughly 2.5 metres deep.

Access to the site, just to the south of Crossgates, is from the B981 and the area to be restored is 1.84 hectares.

The soil and clay to be used will come from other groundwork projects in Fife and be transported by HGVs.

The material will be stored on site until it is dry enough to spread.

On completion of the restoration works, the land will be rehabilitated and managed for a further five years.

Mr Smith added: "This method of operation will provide a safe and efficient operation together with security at all times with the entrance gate locked when there are no non-agricultural operations being carried out on site.

"With the drainage channels remaining at present, swans are being trapped in there and then removed by the landowner.

"With the capping of these over this danger will be removed."

Doncaster firm ATH Resources opened the mine in 2008 with the intention of removing two million tons of coal, however they went into administration in 2013.

A bond of more than £7 million was made available for restoration and Hargreaves Surface Mining Ltd stepped in, repairing land and mining coal on the site until early 2016, when the impending closure of Longannet Power Station led to operations ceasing.

An “historically significant time”, it marked the end of major coal extraction in Fife and meant that work to focus solely on restoration was brought forward.

The Colliers took over the job and much of the site has been returned agricultural use.

Mr Smith said: "The former opencast site has been restored with the land returned to grazing together with a pond which comprises rebound mine water, tracks formed by the public to walk along and a number of redundant settlement lagoons.

"The whole site has been fenced and gated to contain the sheep which graze on the site."

They have also proposed measures to deal with issues such as noise and dust.