Barges have begun transporting thousands of tons of waste ash from Tilbury as part of the new port.

As part of the creation of the Tilbury2 port, boats have been moving ash from a construction site in the town to a new home at a Mucking landfill site.

This will recreate rare habitats for a number of insects and invertebrates.

So far there has been 15 barge movements, moving around 14,500 tones of fly ash into landfill.

Tilbury2 is being constructed on the site of the former Tilbury power station.

The port has committed to moving the material to create a new site where insects can re-colonise in "more secure location."

The material is being spread across a large area equivalent to around twenty football pitches, at the Mucking landfill,

Peter Ward, commercial director at the Port of Tilbury said: “Ecology is an important part of our Tilbury2 project and we are confident that success will be achieved with the Tilbury2 fly ash and Lytag material.

"The ecology work at T2 is extensive and this project at Mucking is a significant part of our commitment to ensuring that we provide a successful habitat and environment for the future.

"The ash is being moved in carefully separated shipments; a thin surface layer containing seeds and vegetation fragments and maybe even dormant life stages of some of the special invertebrates and a thicker underlying ‘blinding layer’ which will create an all-important low-fertility surface and prevent the more delicate plants being swamped by vigorous grasses and weeds.

"I hope that this successful relocation creates a suitable habitat for these insects and invertebrates to thrive and for people to enjoy.”

Dominic Woodfield, from the port’s ecological consultants Bioscan, said: “We are in an important phase of trying to ensure the fascinating brownfield resource at the former Tilbury power station site is not lost, but given a new lease of life in a secure location.

"We hope that our previous success at Mucking will be complemented and expanded and that what the port and Enovert have delivered there becomes a true hotspot for invertebrate conservation in the Thames Estuary, and a jewel in the crown of the Thurrock Thames Nature Park.

“Monitoring studies in future years will be critical to measuring this success, in the same way that they have revealed how the LDP compensation site has already exceeded expectations and become a wonderful place to experience the actual and metaphorical buzz that comes with standing on a site heaving with bee and other insect activity.

"This success has been achieved through a combination of applied ecological knowledge to the habitat design and care of execution, and the same principles apply to the current phase”.

Mark Silvester, chief executive officer of Enovert, owners of the land at Mucking, added: "The addition of the Tilbury2 material to our works at Mucking will enhance the final restoration of the former landfill site.

"We’re pleased the Mucking site was chosen to accept the material and look forward to seeing the habitat develop within the setting of the wider nature park.

"Movement of the materials via the river and use of our jetty operations adds to the environmental credentials of this project.”