WORK will start this week to restore Cherhill's historic white horse to its former glory.

Years of neglect have left it looking shabby and faded and owner Cherhill Parish Council's efforts to raise funds for the work has fallen far short of the £20,000 needed.

Now the money for the clean up has come from Hills Waste of Marlborough through the Government's landfill tax credit scheme.

The work, which will start on Wednesday, will take around four weeks to complete. Restorers want to return the horse as near as possible to its original colour and shape.

The task, using environmentally sound materials, will require some 200 tonnes of chalk which will then be laid down and compacted.

A formal opening ceremony for the new-look horse is planned for September 7.

Cherhill is the second oldest of the 11 white horses still visible in Wiltshire.

The horse was cut into Marlborough Down, where it overlooks the A4 and Cherhill village, in 1780 by Calne doctor Christopher Alsop.

Measuring 49 by 37 metres, it is just below the earthworks known as Oldbury Castle near Lansdowne Monument, and is often referred to as the Oldbury Horse.