MECHANICAL diggers are being used to determine the source of radioactive contamination at Dalgety Bay in Fife.
Excavation work has begun on 90 two-metre deep pits on the beach and surrounding areas.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) said samples will be taken over the next three weeks.
It is hoped the digging will reveal the scale of the problem so a plan can be put in place to deal with it.
The contamination is thought to stem from radium-coated instrument panels used on military aircraft that were incinerated and put in landfill in the area after the Second World War.
Radar surveys have also been used in the investigation this year.
SEPA’s radioactive substances specialist Dr Paul Dale said: “Once this work is completed, we should have a better understanding of the extent and magnitude of the contamination.
“The results, together with the work SEPA has been doing, will help to inform options for appropriate remediation at the end of the investigation period.”