Furious campaigners plan to disrupt a council meeting after they learned of plans to approve a vast landfill site near a quiet village.

The pit - in Sandon, near Chelmsford - would be loaded with domestic waste and is expected to take ten years to fill.

But residents are horrified by the scheme which they claim will ruin their way of life.

Now they are planning to take drastic action to convince Essex county councillors to change their minds.

The Sandon site will be discussed as part of a public inquiry into the Essex Waste Plan which is scheduled to take place in October.

And protesters say it is "outrageous" that any decision should be made before that date.

The scheme has been earmarked for approval at a planning meeting tomorrow, and campaigners have pledged not to give up their fight until the last minute.

Angry resident Chris Clarke said: "We plan to hold a demonstration and may even disrupt proceedings unless all decisions are halted pending the outcome of the inquiry."

Don Reed, chairman of Sandon Parish Council, added: "This is outrageous. We feel that many questions remain unanswered.

"It has always been our view that this application for Sandon quarry to receive household waste should not be considered before the Essex Waste Plan public inquiry."

After the quarry is full the council plans to cover it and use it as public open space.

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