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Peter Carpenter and Jason Lovering of Five Rivers Environmental Contracting based in Ford. DB3478P3

THE London Olympic Games may be four years away, but one south Wiltshire company has already been involved in the preparation.

Five Rivers Environmental Contracting of Ford has been working on the Olympic Delivery Authority's flagship mitigation project.

The project aims to minimise the loss of wildlife and plants caused by the building of the stadium, car parks and associated developments.

Jason Lovering, who founded the company in 1996, said that one of the areas being built on, East Marsh in East London, had been used as a landfill site since Victorian times, with soil tipped onto it every 50 years and then used again.

It was where rubble was taken after the Blitz.

The area which will become the car park for VIPs and disabled people is currently used as sports pitches and is bounded by the River Lea. Mr Lovering and his team have replaced soil along the bank of the river and collected seed to be transplanted into this new soil in the spring.

They have also built timber walls with earth bunds behind to encourage bugs and beetles, and drilled holes in the timber to create new habitat.

They went back to the site at the beginning of this month to transplant the seed, do more planting and, in some areas, mix in better quality soil and sand.

The aim is to encourage species such as the Brown-banded Carder Bee and the Toadflax Brocade moth, and re-introduce plants such as the Common Toadflax and Autumn Hawkbit.

"There are different seeds for different areas according to the nutrient levels of the soil in each area," said Mr Lovering.

"The area we have been working on is more than 1.5 miles and the key to the success of the project is the River Lea.

"We are delighted to be involved in this project - it is so exciting."

Peter Carpenter, who has worked with Mr Lovering on this and other projects, said the Olympic Delivery Authority had employed Land Use Consultants to come up with plans for mitigation and Five Rivers had successfully tendered for the contract.

"This is the main project to deal with loss of natural environment," he said.

"It is brilliant to be able to have helped shape it."

9:28am Thursday 17th April 2008

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