PEOPLE living in villages around Winchester are joining forces in a bid to stop a demolition and recycling company moving in near their homes.

Residents in Compton, Otterbourne and Shawford are angry over AJ Blake Ltd's plans to move into Four Dell Farm in Poles Lane, and are uniting to fight against the development.

AJ Blake, which currently crushes and recycles waste from its site at Southampton docks, has applied to Winchester city planners to mechanically sort and recycle plastic, cardboard, metal and concrete rubble at the farm. Vehicles would come in and out of the site around 18 times per day and a mechanical crusher would be used at the farm four times per year at up to two-week sessions.

Nearby residents are concerned about the extra noise and traffic the business could bring, and held a public meeting to voice their concerns.

Victoria Lindsay, who lives near the proposed site, said: "The noise is going to be much more intrusive than it is already and there will be more traffic. Poles Lane is lethal already. We don't feel the local villages can take it from a safety point of view."

For the full story see today's Daily Echo