VILLAGERS with a mission will band together at Astley Chapel.

On Monday locals are being invited to the Methodist Church down Lower Green Lane to form a group to fight for village rights.

And anyone who would like to stand on a new Astley Green Village Committee is welcome to join the committee.

Higher Green couple Ingrid and Pete Berry and Harry Worthington, who lives off Moss Lane, urge people to air their views at meeting (7.30pm).

Meeting organisers say:"The village is coming under increasing pressure to its way of life ranging from applications for all manner of commercial developments to small-scale illegal tipping, noise and disturbance from motorbikes and speeding traffic.

"We feel a strong committee representing the whole village is the best way of combating these threats."

Anyone living from in an area bordered by the East Lancs Road, Liverpool-Manchester railway and from Morleys Hall to the Shell garage is welcome.

The purpose is to vote in a new committee designed to replace AGRAT - formed to fight super tip plans, and the now defunct Residents' Association.

In a leaflet informing villagers of the inaugural meeting the recently revealed Whitehead Hall meadow proposals were welcomed in principle.

But concerns were expressed about traffic implications for the planned new soccer ground and its impact on the Ellesmere Street park.

The Berrys (01942 870810) or Mr Worthington (01942 893637) welcome villagers' views.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.