FEARS over hundreds of extra lorries trundling along the busy Christchurch bypass were voiced by local people and councillors at a public meeting.

More than 50 people attended the meeting at Somerford Community Centre including the leader of Christchurch Borough Council, Cllr Alan Griffiths, head of the planning committee, Cllr David Jones and Grange ward councillor, Cllr Denise Jones.

Cllr Denise Jones was buoyed by support from the leader of the council, Cllr Alan Griffiths, who agreed the proposal for a pit at Roeshot would have a detrimental effect on local residents.

Cllr Jones expressed concerns that gravel extraction on the borders of the Grange ward would be within three hundred yards of the Somerford estate, and within 200 yards from the closest house.

The Roeshot gravel pit site, on the northern side of the Waterloo to Weymouth railway line on farmland east of Burton, has been earmarked for sand and gravel extraction in Dorset County Council’s Minerals Site Allocations Document Discussion Paper.

But the gravel pit will also adjoin the site proposed by Hampshire County Council, which according to their minerals plan can provide four million tonnes of gravel at 300,000 tonnes per year starting in 2010 and equating to 120 lorry movements per day.

The extension proposed by Dorset County Council would take over from the operations in Hampshire at some point during or immediately after and proposes 160 lorry movements per day.

Cllr Griffiths said that the impact of the numerous HGV movements on the local highway network as well as the many forms of disturbance the excavation works were likely to cause would be the focus of their objections to the county council.

Cllr Jones said: “Everybody is united in opposing this proposal which would lead to misery for people in Christchurch. Not only would we suffer from noise, pollution and dirt but our infrastructure cannot cope with the kind of traffic movements predicted.

“Everywhere is under threat. This is going to impact on the lives of people from Christchurch whose lives will be blighted by this for a long time if it gets the go-ahead.”