THE early Monday morning knock on the door today was the signal for one of the biggest mine clearance operations in peacetime.

For the community living around the giant former HMS Daedalus Royal Naval air base at Lee-on-the-Solent were being put on a war-style footing as a massive Ministry of Defence operation swung into operation to remove 20 Second World War pipe mines.

It is expected to take up to five weeks and a 750-metre exclusion zone was being thrown around homes between 9.30am and 4pm as experts from the 33 Engineering Regiment of the Royal Engineers set about their intricate task.

Today police started knocking residents' doors at 6.30am as the first evacuees were prepared to vacate their homes and clear the exclusion zone by 9.30am at the latest. Householders were being allowed to return to their properties from 4pm when the Army has finished its work for the day.

A Hampshire County Council spokesman said: "Many residents will have made their arrangements for the evacuation period or will be at work.

"Those without alternative accommodation will be made welcome at either of the two county council rest centres at Lee-on-the-Solent Community Centre or Crofton Commun-ity Centre, Stubbing-ton.

"These are open from 7am. The county council has transport available for those unable to make their own way to a rest centre."

The centres will have televisions and snacks and hot meals will be served to make residents feel at home while the hours tick away.

Up to 3,000 residents could be evacuated during the mine clearance operation. Although the mines are safe in their current position, the MoD says it now has a duty to remove them in a planned and controlled manner.

The Army will take control of the airfield during the operation. Exclusion zones of up to 750 metres will be necessary for each pipe mine. Although it may be possible to reduce these to 300 metres depending on whether each pipe mine is confirmed to contain explosives or not.

Many months of planning have gone into preparing the community for what could cause a huge disruption, albeit temporary, to their daily lives.

Hampshire County Coun-cil leader Councillor Ken Thornber said: "This is a major exercise by the MOD and one that we fully appreciate will cause inconvenience to a great many people.

"That is why, along with all the other agencies involved, we have been working so diligently to reduce the disruption that, unfortunately, is an inevitable part of an operation on this scale."

The county council's emergency planning officer, Ian Hoult, said: "Our concern has been the public and their well-being. We have distributed 6,500 leaflets to homes and businesses."

The leaflet carries a street by street guide of how the clearance work will unfold.

He said that only about 1,000 households would need to be evacuated which would involve up to 3,000 residents.