AN action group has been formed to fight plans to create a 280-acre quarry. Tarmac wants to dig for aggregates on the site south of Broom when its current quarry to the north of the village is closed in five years time. There is fierce resistance from res

AN action group has been formed to fight plans to create a 280-acre quarry.

Tarmac wants to dig for aggregates on the site south of Broom when its current quarry to the north of the village is closed in five years time.

There is fierce resistance from residents against the proposals and they are now urging both Southill Parish Council and Bedfordshire County Council to throw out Tarmac's plans when they are submitted, probably in September.

The parish council has already said it will object to further quarrying around Broom but many residents fear only a concerted effort by an elected action group will have any impact.

At last week's parish council AGM there was a great deal of hostility from residents towards the council for not formulating its own objections to Tarmac's proposals and also failing to keep residents informed.

This week two members of the action group hoped its formation will lead to strong objections to the quarry plans forcing the county council to listen to villagers before making a decision.

"This is our chance to have a louder and more positive voice than what the parish council is doing," said the group's chairman Steve Ablett.

"After listening to last week's parish council meeting it would have been a waste of time leaving it to them.

"The action group is now talking on behalf of village residents and the more they get behind us the louder our voice will be.

"We just cannot sit back and leave the Tarmac proposals in the hands of the parish council."

Another member of the group Issy Rondel, who has lived in Broom for 18 months, repeatedly clashed with parish council chairman Mark Egar last week and at one stage was warned he would be ejected from the meeting if he continued to interrupt proceeds.

"Broom has already suffered from quarrying for 12 years. We feel it is unfair for the people in the parish of Broom to suffer a further 20 years of quarrying," said Mr Rondel, 70, who lives in the High Street.

"This is a fight we will take to the bitter end and hopefully we will be able to stop it. Feelings in the village are very high because people in Broom and the other villages around here do not want another quarry.

"The parish council, the county council and our MP must listen to us and we are not prepared to be silent.

"We have formed our own website and, hopefully, people will put their thoughts on it which we can use in our campaign and we will also be keeping people aware of what is going on."

The action group's website is www.stanfordbroomquarry.org