RESIDENTS from Dauntsey Lock have spoken out against Wiltshire Council’s decision to grant planning permission for a lagoon storing liquid fertiliser at St John’s Farm next to the B4069.

It will be run by Lincolnshire-based company Omex on land rented out by farmer Robert Hitchcock.

The lagoon will store ammonium nitrate, which will be delivered to farms by eight to 15 lorries for use on crops between February and May.

The permission is subject to conditions, and building cannot start until schemes for water pollution prevention and emissions control are submitted and approved.

According to the company, this number of lorries will drop to five a day between July to January while the lagoon is being filled.

But residents, who are worried about traffic, bad smells and water pollution, claim they were not properly consulted before permission was granted on November 21. An group of residents from Christian Malford, Dauntsey, Lyneham and Sutton Benger has already been formed to combat a large number of waste lorries using the B4069, and ther is concern that the development will add to this.

Tim Reynolds, of Rose Cottage, said the biggest residential area in Dauntsey St John’s and St James was downwind of the site and would be affected by smells.

In 2007 his house was flooded and he is worried any future floodwater might be contaminated by chemicals.

He said: “We didn’t hear about it until the planning permission was granted. Nobody knew about it except the parish council, who wrote a letter of objection.”

Geoffrey Conway, of Swallet Gate Farm, said: “We’ve got 50 to 65 signatures from villagers against it.”

Mr Hitchcock said Omex has seen increased demand for its products and had to set up a supply depot.

A spokesman for Wiltshire Council said: “We are sorry to hear some residents feel they were not consulted, however this application was advertised. Environmental and health and safety checks were carried out, and there are conditions attached. These include prevention of pollution.”