WORK to protect a riverside church graveyard has begun on the banks of the River Ouse near York.

The vital work has begun to halt erosion around the area next to St Andrew's Old Church, next to Bishopthorpe Palace, where the river is in danger of washing away the bones of villagers' ancestors.

The reconstruction project is being carried out by the St Andrew's Trust, a local charity set up to conserve the church and its 1,000 year-old graveyard.

It has received Heritage Lottery funding and is being carried out by Bishopthorpe-based company, Moor Lane Construction.

The firm is using more than 100 gabions - or geo-mesh cages filled with stones - which are being lowered down onto the riverbed and built up to reform the river bank.

Steve Hargreaves, Moor Lane director, said: "The gabions will deflect waves back into the river and prevent the soil and sand which make up the river bank being washed away. The top level of gabions will be covered with soil, grass, shrubs and trees, the roots of which will actually help to hold the rocks in place and ensure the new section becomes a homogenous part of the river bank.

"It's complex work because once we have placed each gabion into the water, we lose sight of our progress. All measurements have to be precise."

The civil engineering works form part of a larger £300,000 project which includes restoring the facade of the church to its 1760s appearance, when it was built as part of the architecture of Bishopthorpe Palace.

The church grounds will also become part of a Living Churchyard project which will involve reinstating historic headstones, conserving monuments, landscape preservation and creating a wildlife sanctuary to protect endangered species.

Project director Russell Wright said: "This is a community project that is using modern technology to provide a sustainable solution to a 500-year problem. It is being managed and undertaken by local companies and is testament to what can be achieved by small local groups with a determination to safeguard the heritage they value."

The civil engineering part of the project will be finished by the end of October while the remaining phases are due for completion in February 2002.

janet.hewison@ycp.co.uk