A DAIRY farmer today denied protesters had forced him to pull out of plans for a massive composting site in the Ribble Valley.

Eric Dowson, who owns Dowson Dairy at Hawkshaw Farm, in Clayton-le-Dale, had applied for permission to build a 10,000-tonne capacity plant off the A59.

He already composts around 2,500 tonnes of green waste a year but the plans would have seen the operation expand to also take in household kitchen waste.

Nearby residents wanted to block the plans because of fears over increased traffic and contamination.

They got their wish earlier this month when Mr Dowson withdrew the plans. But today Mr Dowson the plans were withdrawn for commercial reasons --and nothing to do with the protests.

He said: "We withdrew the plans after it became apparent that it was not going to be commercially viable.

"As for the protests, I don't think they carried any weight. They had nothing to do with our decision to withdraw."

However protester Ken Turner, who lives opposite the entrance to the farm, had employed a chartered town planner to fight the proposals.

He said: "I think he was probably aware there was a lot of public opinion against it.

"We did have misgivings about it -- principally traffic concerns and that it was an unsuitable development for this site.

"He's a dairy farmer trying to earn a living and diversify so I have a lot of sympathy for him.

"However, as custodian of the land, he has a responsibility to ensure it's left in a decent state for generations to come."

Lancashire County Council was set to consider the plans, which had already been criticised by Ribble Valley Council.

Councillors objected to the proposals last month after hearing it would create an unpleasant smell and dominate the surrounding area.