PEOPLE living in a village near Maidstone want a ban on lorries on their narrow street as part of a fight against plans for a nearby soft fruit-packing farm to update its packhouse.

Members of the Chartway Residents' Association, in Chartway Street, Chart Sutton, claim the proposals could lead to an increase in lorries using the farm.

But the owner of Winterwood Farm, also in Chartway Street, claims that he will have to stop trading unless plans to bring the packing area up to new European standards go ahead.

That means dismantling storage units and building a new covered packing area where soft fruits from nearby farms can be boxed and sent out to supermarkets.

Owner Stephen Taylor supplies all of Tesco's and Waitrose's soft fruits and berries and estimates his business invests £1.5 million a year into local farms and agricultural businesses.

Mr Taylor said: "The infrastructure of the village is not built for articulated lorries - but the effect of weight restrictions in Leeds and Broomfield is to funnel every lorry that comes into this area through Chartway Street.

"The vast majority of lorries have nothing to do with our farm. We have an average of about three or four lorries a day using the site. Our proposal is to still have three or four on average after the work is done. There are no plans to expand that."

Protestors believe that the hundreds of lorries which use the road each day pose a risk to residents.

The chairwoman of the residents' association, Jill Davies, said: "The plans to increase the size of the pack house would increase production and increase the number of heavy goods lorries. The road is not built for it. We don't want to put him out of business but it is hazardous to walk down the road.

The plans were submitted to Maidstone Borough Council last July and are expected to be considered by its planning committee in March.