AN innovative plan to clear Wales’ growing mountains of waste has emerged following interest in Monmouthshire from a team of leading volcanologists and geologists.

The team is set to arrive in Abergavenny this week amid fears that a dormant volcano near the town could be set to erupt for the first time in more than 10,000 years.

It had long been thought that Abergavenny’s Sugar Loaf Mountain was an extinct volcano, but recent increases in underground activity combined with sightings of vapour on the slopes of the mountain, have led experts to believe it is could be simply a resting giant which could once again see volcanic action.

Dr Mike Appen, leader of the exploratory team from the Foundation of Operational Lava Science explained , “Extinct volcanoes are not expected to erupt again but those deemed ‘dormant’ like Mount Kiliminjaro in Africa, Mount Fuji in Japan, Mauna Kea in Hawaii and now maybe The Sugar Loaf have the potential to rumble back into life.

“We have seen some signs this could be the case with the Sugar Loaf - there have been some pings on our monitoring equipment and some signs of smoke near the summit,” he said.

“We’ve also spotted a slight increase in fires in the general area of Abergavenny, which could indicate a warming of the land around the foot of The Sugar Loaf - with something this serious we can leave no stone unturned,” he added.

Dr Appen and his team stress there is no danger to local residents as any eruption is likely to be hundreds or even thousands of years in the future.

“I don’t think the earth will be moving for people in Abergavenny any time soon,” he said.

Despite the probable lack of an imminent eruption, waste control officers from the Welsh Government are due to meet volcano experts later this week, to discuss a unique plan to dispose of the country’s waste by tipping it into a hole specially excavated at the summit of the mountain.

“We think if we can dig deep enough the refuse will be instantly incinerated by the heat of the lava pool we believe lies at the heart of the mountain,” said waste disposal officer T R Ashe.

“This could make Abergavenny the waste disposal capital of the world,” he added.

“We’re on the mountain…or should I say the volcano… today to do some exploratory drilling and then we can move on from there,” he said.

The team of volcanologists is due to pay its first visit to The Sugar Loaf before midday today but warn they are unlikely to reach any immediate conclusions.

“There are a lot of things which could trigger our equipment,” he said. “It could be an increase in the number of people walking up the mountain and stamping their feet or even paragliders landing heavily.

“We’ll also need to analyse the make up of the vapour spotted near the summit as it could be nothing more than a build up of methane gas from grazing animals.”

“In short rather than a volcano it could just be people wandering around aimlessly and a lot of hot air,” he said.