AFTER years of looking grey and grubby the Westbury White Horse may soon be able to shed its nickname of the mucky mare.

English Heritage has announced it is due to start repainting the landmark in September after months of tests to find a white paint which will cope with the algae and deposits that build up on the horse.

As the area is deemed a site of special scientific interest, the paint must be approved by English Nature, a government agency that champions the conservation of wildlife.

Beth Cavanagh, head of visitor operation for Wiltshire and Dorset with English Heritage, said: "We are pretty certain we know what paint we want to use but English Nature have to approve any chemicals used on the hill.

"There are special things up there which we don't want to be killed.

"What we are trying to do is find a long-term solution. It was last repainted in 2001 and within 18 months there was a build-up of algae and it got greyer and greyer. "This time we want it to last five or six years rather than just a year. "It's a very popular place with local residents and visitors and it's something we want to see tidied up but we can't afford to do short term measures."

She said one of the problems with the horse is it is carved onto a steep hill which means specially trained abseilers have to be employed to paint the horse. "It is very steep and it's not just a question of slapping a bit of paint on," she said.

She added she was confident the work would go ahead once the majority of tourists left in September. "The only stumbling block would be English Nature. If they decide they don't like what we are doing then we'll have to think again," she said.

Westbury town councillor Horace Prickett, who has been campaigning to clean up the horse for the last three years, welcomed the latest development.

He said: "It's very good news. I've been nagging for about three years and it's looking good for the Westbury White Horse at long last. Now I can sleep easy. "The good news is in spite of their budget cuts money has been saved for the White Horse.

"We are now in the final leg of getting the material approved by English Nature because anything done on the face of the hill runs off into the streams, ditches and grassland."

Cllr Prickett said he hoped the final decision by English Nature would be made in time for the next meeting about the horse between English Heritage, Wiltshire County Council and Westbury Town Council, due to take place in July.