A PENNINGTON farmer has slammed a bid by Metro bosses to shut his potato selling operation as "ridiculous".

Wigan Council planning chiefs launched a campaign to close Herbert Hindley's spud processing works -- which has ended in an two-day long public inquiry at Leigh town hall costing thousands of pounds.

Planners have issued an enforcement order against Mr Hindley to stop his business at Yew Tree Farm on Carr Lane near the East Lancashire Road which washes and bags 6,500 tons of potatoes a year.

They accuse him of not having permission to operate the processing in a green belt area.

But Mr Hindley said his family had always sold potatoes from the farm since they bought it 39 years ago and had been in businesses as medium-scale potato processors for more than 20 years.

Mr Hindley, aged 43, said: "It's complete overkill. It's Big Brother tactics. It's totally ridiculous."

He added nine full-time jobs were threatened.

But council chiefs say they ordered him to stop because he did not have planning permission and would not be allowed to operate the enterprise in the green belt.

A Government planning inspector will decide whether Mr Hindley's potato plant should be shut down in the next few weeks.