ANGRY residents in Whittle-le-Woods fear 30 years of traffic misery if plans to fill in a quarry are passed.

J & J Ashcroft, owners of Little Quarry on Hill Top Lane, propose to fill up the site over seven years with soil and bricks.

But residents, who have forwarded a 200-strong petition, claim the 50 to 100 lorry trips a day on access routes will bring noise pollution, dangerous roads and a decrease in property values. And the Parish Council says if plans are passed, the larger quarry opposite could also apply for filling with even more tippers needed for many years to come.

Whittle-le-Woods councillor James Bell said: "Our narrow roads can't take all these heavy vehicles. It'll be horrendous for residents with dust in the summer and mud in the winter. We had to put up with 12 months of hell during the widening of the M6.

"Other quarries, such as in White Coppice and Brindle, regenerate themselves with no problem."

Managing director of J & J Ashcroft, Jim Ashcroft, said the land-fill plan is necessary to stabilise the land and will in fact benefit the community.

He explained: "We've reduced our original plan to fill in the quarry by a third to reduce the traffic.

"If we don't fill the space the quarry sides could collapse. We would have no choice but to carry on quarrying which still leaves the traffic. And the traffic would be no different if planning was granted.

"Our plans include building a football pitch, nature trails and woodland areas on the filled site, giving something back to the community. It has all been blown out of proportion."

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