TRANSCO will start face-to-face talks with farmers and landowners next week over its plans to drive a massive high pressure gas pipeline across their land.

The gas company said it would speak to the owners and tenants of every block of land through which the pipeline will run.

Work on installing the system, designed to link to the two LNG - liquefied natural gas - terminals planned for Waterston and South Hook, Milford Haven, will start at the beginning of next year.

But first the concerns of the people directly affected will have to be addressed, insists Transco.

"Within the next week or so we are going to be going out and holding specific meetings with the farmers and landowners so that we can talk to them on an individual basis about the project and how it will affect them,'' said its spokesman.

Next month, the company plans to hold exhibitions to inform those people who are closest to the pipeline route.

"We will also be addressing the wider environmental and archaeological issues. There is on-going work on that side of things,'' said the spokesman.

"There is an enormous amount of preliminary work that needs to be done, but we really would like to start construction in early 2006.''

Where possible, local business and individuals would be used in the construction process but this is likely to be limited, she explained.

"A lot of the work will be extremely specialist engineering work but where the opportunities arise we will be looking to support local businesses where possible.''