A BUSINESSMAN will be sunning himself in Cyprus on the day he was due to appear at a public inquiry in Worcester.

Alan Davis, of Kempsey, whose application to keep four goods vehicles and trailers at Brookend Farm sparked a stream of protests, said he had had enough of the village.

"I am running a workshop there, but I am just finished with it and that's the end of it now," he said.

"There's life outside Kempsey. I'll be in Cyprus on June 9."

Mr Davis has now formally withdrawn his application and the public inquiry at the Giffard Hotel has been called off.

It had been expected to last all day, because of the large number of representations to be heard.

Letter

Mr Davis announced his withdrawal in a letter presented to Brookend Lane residents' association at a meeting in Kempsey last week.

Yesterday, the official spokesman for the West Midlands Traffic Commissioner, Annie Harris, confirmed that he had given formal notification of his withdrawal.

The residents' association, formed last year amid concerns at the number of heavy lorries using the country lane, includes two members of Kempsey Parish Council, Joy Clee and David Harrison, who both live in Brookend Lane.

The council called for a public inquiry after being lobbied by residents complaining about the speed, noise and danger to pedestrians of vehicles using the lane from early morning to late at night. Other complaints centred on activities at Brookend Farm, which is a light industrial estate.

Mr Harrison said the residents' association had still not received any official confirmation that the application had been withdrawn and the public inquiry cancelled.