PARISH councillors are concerned over proposals for a massive gravel quarry near Bidford.

RMC Minerals wants to create the 49-hectare quarry at Broom Court Farm and carry gravel on an open conveyor belt across farmland to the company's Marsh Farm Quarry between Broom and Dunnington.

The new site would extend from the cemetery in Bidford to the borders of Salford Priors, where an emergency meeting of the parish council was called on Friday night.

Members heard the proposal was to extract 1,500,000 tons of gravel over five and a half years, taking it first underground at the B439 roundabout, then alongside the River Arrow to the processing plant.

Some said it would create intolerable noise and dust pollution for residents and the visual impact for residents of Marlcliffe and Bidford was also questioned. The application has been submitted to Warwickshire County Council.

Under the original planning proposals, the Marsh Farm site was scheduled for completion and restoration in 10 years.

Bidford parish councillors have also held a meeting to discuss the application and have arranged for a public display of the proposed scheme to be on show at the Crawford Memorial Hall on Saturday, April 16.

Representatives from RMC Materials will be available to discuss the proposals between 9am-2pm.

Tony Rowley, estates manager at RMC Materials, said the conveyor belt would be screened and fenced and he does not envisage any safety issues.

"We have conveyor belts at a number of our sites and we have never experienced that problem," he said.

Mr Rowley also stressed a number of agencies have been consulted in preparing the application, which he described as "environmentally sound".

When the project is complete the restoration process will include the creation of a number of ponds.