By Raymond Hainey The US Navy pumped raw sewage into an underground cave at its old Naval Annex in Southampton for years, The Royal Gazette can reveal.

And even toughened experts from a UK environmental company which was hired to do a survey on pollution left behind by the US forces were stunned by the filth found in Bassett's Cave.

Deputy Governor Tim Gurney said: "They said it was just gross -- absolutely revolting.'' Mr. Gurney said the Environmental Resources Management (ERM) team found a new entrance into the cave, deep beneath the site earmarked for a major tourist development.

He added: "It was pretty horrible. They said it wasn't something they wanted to see again.'' The sewage in the cave -- which may have been used as a US cesspit for decades -- is mixed with oil, tons of which is already known to have leaked from storage tanks at the site.

Mr. Gurney said: "We knew it was there. There are sewage pipes going straight into it.'' But he added the ERM experts were shocked at the scale of the mess, although he was unable to put a figure on the amount of the pollution.

Mr. Gurney said: "I couldn't say how much sewage is there but it's certainly a significant amount.'' And the news is bound to add weight to the campaign to get the US to stump up the estimated $65 million needed to clean up the US pollution.

Waste left behind when the US Navy weighed anchor and left Bermuda in 1995 includes tons of potentially deadly asbestos, hundreds of thousands of gallon of oil, which has leaked into the ground, and poisonous heavy metals.

The US government has insisted that it will only pay for clean-ups on its former bases where the risk to health is "imminent''.

And the US has maintained that is not the case in Bermuda and also dismissed reports prepared by independent analysts for the Island's Government which said the risk to health was real and serious.

Development and Opportunity Minister Terry Lister said: "We know what's down there and it's not pretty.

"The American government knew. What we're going to do is have different people telling them.'' Mr. Lister added: "We have been saying all these same things all along to the US and everything ERM are saying all along.'' And he said the previous Government deserved a share of the blame for the current situation for failing to put enough pressure on the US before they left the Country.

Mr. Lister added: "On the day the Americans left, it was all smiles. There was no fuss, no argument.

Sewage dumped in cave "It would certainly have been a different situation if there had been some angry row on the day they had left.'' The ERM team, the same firm who assessed damage from oil in caves at the old Royal Naval Dockyard and spent a year cleaning it up, was called in by the UK Foreign Office to help bolster Bermuda's case for compensation.

The assessment squad arrived earlier this week and left yesterday to prepare their report, which could be available within the next month.

Mr. Gurney said: "The important thing about the ERM work is to get a balanced report which they can use in talking to the Americans.'' He insisted that the UK Government was using every opportunity to apply fresh pressure on the US to cough up the cash.

He said: "There are on-going contacts involving the UK Government. When a bi-lateral opportunity arises, the subject is raised -- not just in London and Washington, it could be anywhere.''