SHOPS and businesses in the Runshaw Lane area of Euxton have teamed up to launch a petition against plans for a sand and gravel quarry.

The campaign was launched after Tarmac Central Ltd revealed preliminary plans to extract more than four million tonnes of material during a 16-year period.

When similar plans were announced in 1997, angry residents reacted by forming a protest group ERASE (Euxton Residents Against Sand Extraction). After two years and a public inquiry the plans were shelved due to the opposition.

The land in question, a rural area between Runshaw Lane and Dawber's Lane, remains earmarked for quarrying under Lancashire County Council's Mineral and Waste Plan.

Tarmac are hoping to submit a full planning application later in the year.

Many people in the village are concerned over the increase in traffic movements and the potential harm to the environment.

Mr Jesse Harrison, of St Mary's Gate, Euxton, said: "The roads and facilities in the area just won't be able to cope with the heavy trucks that will be needed for this.

"There are three schools in this area and I'm sure that the children there would be affected by dusty lorries passing by day after day.

"They say it will be for 16 years, but other similar quarries in the area have received ten year extensions."

Mr Harrison added his name to the the petition at the Spar shop on Runshaw Lane. The local response has been so strong that staff at the shop have had to ask for more petition sheets after their original allocation was filled within a week. Another shopper, Simone Stacey, 37, of Woodside, Euxton, said: "It will affect Euxton for many years, I don't want my child growing up in an area near the quarry and all the noise and traffic it will bring."

A spokesman for Tarmac Central Ltd said: "Our intention is that we are seeking to minimise impact on the environment, eventually returning the area to its original appearance, while extracting much-needed supplies for the region's construction industry."