VILLAGERS battling proposals for a quarry less than a mile from their homes have called in the district’s MP.

North Dorset MP Bob Walter visited a site close to Sturminster Marshall to hear concerns from local people on proposals to dig up to 200,000 tonnes of sand a year for as many as 15 years.

Eighty lorry journeys a day to and from the 70 hectare site north of the A31 are estimated if County Hall minerals chiefs give the thumbs-up to proposals from developer, Cemex.

“The really key issue is the inappropriate location of this proposed site, and particularly the impact it would have on traffic flows and the A31,” said Mr Walter.

“I will be making a representation both to Dorset County Council and to the Highways Agency on this basis,” he added.

Mr Walter highlighted traffic issues created by an access point to the proposed site just 200 metres east of the Roundhouse roundabout.

An alternative access point from the A350 was also given the thumbs-down by the MP, who described the busy route from Poole to Blandford as “already tortuous”.

The site is split in two, with land to the west known as Vines Close Farm and land to the east known as Henbury Farm.

Henbury Farm Wood is an area officially designated as a Site of Nature Conservation Importance. A section of the disused Somerset and Dorset railway line, due to be opened up to walkers, horse riders, and cyclists, lies within the site.

Planners have warned that the site could create an adverse impact on the landscape, but backed proposals for its restoration, which would return the area to wildlife-friendly heathland.

A public consultation on sites proposed for mineral extraction ends today.

For more information on the scheme, visit dorsetforyou.com/mwdf.

For details of potential quarry sites in Dorset, visit bournemouthecho.co.uk.