QUARRY campaigners unfurled a 54ft banner to show the size of lorries that could drive up and down a country lane.

Consultations over a 35 hectare site at Colemans Farm in Little Braxted are ongoing.

Members of action group Stop the Quarry – Save the Landscape are worried about articulated lorries crossing the path of traffic coming off the A12 in Witham.

The sliproad off the A12 is curved and they are worried drivers will not see lorries coming across the junction from Little Braxted Lane, which is also narrow.

Parish councillor Clare Dobie, who set up the group, said: “We unfurled a 54ft banner, which is the length of an articulated lorry, the point being that lorries of that size would be coming in and out of Colemans Farm quarry, if it were to get approval.

“We think the lorries are too big, too slow and in the wrong place. The lorries raise safety concerns because they come out of the quarry and, if they are going towards Chelmsford, immediately have to cross a fast-moving line of traffic across a sliproad.

“There have been 29 collisions in that area, one of which was fatal. Some of the lorries would also go through Witham, which would add to congestion.”

Mrs Dobie said, if the quarry were given planning permission, lorries should exit on to the A12 via Braxted Park Road instead.

Witham Northern county councillor James Abbott said the landowner planned to cut hedges and trees to make it easier for lorries to see.

He said: “We don’t know how much they are intending to take out, but even then we don’t think it will solve the problem.

“We have got articulated lorries coming up Little Braxted Lane and turning right off the slip road.

“They will have limited time to make that manoeuvre laden with sand and gravel bags and there is traffic coming up at 60mph.”

The quarry would produce 2.5million tonnes of sand and gravel and Essex County Council has named it as a preferred location in its local plan.

Simon Brice, who owns Colemans Farm, said highways officials had not raised any concerns with him, so far.

He said: “The sliproads on to the A12 are used by people coming out of the industrial estate already and artics use those roads every day without any incident.

“Although there have been accidents on the A12 recently, I am not aware of those being caused by people coming on to the sliproads on either side.”

He said the routes had been chosen so quarry lorries could avoid country roads.

Government plans to extend parts of the A12 to three lanes from London to Colchester would also happen during the quarry’s lifetime, which he said would help.

Mr Brice, who first looked into the idea for a quarry more than 20 years ago, said he appreciated there were concerns.

But he added: “If you want to build houses, schools and hospitals, you need the aggregates.

“While I accept people don’t want that, people who live in houses are lucky they have a house.”