A woman who watched anthrax-stricken cows being burned in an Angus field has warned against building housing on the site.
Jean Brymer, 79, from Forfar, watched the animals being set on fire and dumped in a mass grave when she was just a child.
Objections have been raised with regards disturbing the historical anthrax burial site and Mrs Brymer said it would be better if nothing was built there.
Carcasses of farm livestock, which may have been infected with the disease, were buried at Westfield around the 1940s or 1950s.
The site is the centre of a planning application from Muir Homes.
Objectors have warned of the proximity between the proposed new houses and the known area of anthrax ash burial remains.
Mrs Brymer said: “My father was farm grieve on Westfield Farm and we lived in the bungalow which looked on to the field where the cattle with the anthrax were buried.
“This field was in front of the farm house. There was quick lime put on the animals to burn them and you could see the white smoke coming off this for some time.
“At a later date they planted trees there which are still there today. My late father told me they would never be able to put cattle in that field again.”
Mrs Brymer said she had no idea how the cows picked up the virus.
“We were far enough away from the white smoke and the fumes from the burning.
“I can’t remember if there was a strong smell and I don’t know if the area being disturbed would cause any problems.
“Are there any spores in the ground? You would think the lime burning would have done its job but who knows?
“I feel it would be better if nothing was built in this particular field and it was left undisturbed.”
Anthrax is an acute disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis.
It is not spread directly from one infected animal or person to another, but by spores.
The carcass of an infected animal can be a source of these spores, especially if it is cut open.
The spores themselves are very durable and can survive in the soil for many years.
Muir Homes said soil sampling in the area was sent for expert analysis to identify potential risks and anthrax was not detected.
It said no excavations would be undertaken within 30m of the known copse of mature trees that demarcate the area of anthrax ash burial.
Elite Homes has lodged an objection and said the contamination report acknowledges the historical anthrax burial site “requires further investigation”.
