OPPOSITION is mounting to plans for new houses in Hygiene, Clayton-le-Moors.

Residents fear the development would add to an already grim problem with traffic congestion in their lane, making it almost impassable for emergency vehicles.

The earmarked plot of overgrown land owned by GEC is at the end of a row of houses in a rural area of town behind All Saints CE Primary School's playing fields.

An application has been made for outline planning permission for an unspecified number of homes.

It is expected go before Hyndburn councillors in October.

Residents' cottages are in a cul-de-sac and there is only one narrow unadopted track for them to use. They claim it cannot be widened because of the school.

Resident Rita O'Brien said: "There are many people against this. "Clayton-le-Moors is becoming saturated with housing and the facilities and schools cannot cope.

"Children have even made trails on the land and we would like to see it landscaped rather than have more houses."

Fellow resident Doreen Birtwistle added: "The congestion with cars is already a problem and I can't imagine what it will be like if new properties are built.

"It once took an ambulance two hours to get down the road. All the neighbours had to be woken up so they could move their cars. There is going to be a tragedy if this plan goes ahead."

Jack Brooks, from GEC estates department, said: "GEC has an area of land which is surplus to its requirements.

"We have submitted an outline planning application to the council to see if that land could be used for residential purposes.

"The land is merely the subject of an outline planning application at the moment and everybody has an opportunity to make their objections quite clear."

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