RESIDENTS are gearing up for another David and Goliath battle after a quarry firm renewed a controversial bid to extend its operation in a leafy Bolton suburb.

Angry homeowners living near the quarry off Brookfold Lane in Harwood have vowed to turn up in force at a public inquiry starting on Tuesday in Bolton Town Hall's Lancaster Suite.

They are up in arms after Harwood Quarry Ltd appealed against Bolton Council's rejection of the application to extract 200,000 cubic metres of gritstone and shale from the site.

They are hoping the Government planning inspector will back Bolton Council who threw out the plans last November.

Residents again fear that an extension would increase the amount of heavy lorries operating in residential areas and near St Brendan's Primary School.

Dawn Robinson-Walsh, who lives on Tottington Road, which runs behind the quarry, said: "The residents' feelings are the same as last time -- they don't want the quarry to expand.

"One of the worries is that the proposal would bring the quarry closer to homes in the area.

"There is also a problem with the number of mining shafts that are apparently present in the area. There are fears over the stability of the land and the north face of the quarry looks in danger of collapse."

The quarry, off Brookfold Lane, extends to the hill above Tottington Road, and has sheer rock faces are more than 100 feet high.

The firm claimed the work was aimed at making the quarry safer by levelling off the steep sides. But residents believe it would erode the surrounding area of Green Belt countryside.

At the earlier hearing, they bombarded councillors and the company with petitions and letters of protest.

It is expected that the hearing will last for three days and the final decision will be made in two to three months time.

No one at the company representing Harwood Quarry Ltd was available to comment today.