VILLAGERS in Oakhanger have launched a petition to demand a public inquiry into an application to infill clay pits at the Selborne Brickworks with inert waste.

Members of the Oakhanger Preservation Society have gone house-to-house to canvass support for an inquiry.

They believe a public inquiry would be able to look in greater detail at all aspects of the proposal.

It is being argued that roads through the village are inadequate to cope with extra traffic that would be generated by the granting of a management licence to TJ Landfill Ltd.

And a Hampshire County Council report from the county surveyor in 1992 made the point the road network was unable to cope with increased traffic through the village.

Villagers believe the extra traffic generated by infilling work would cause them to be prisoners in their own homes.

Chairman of the preservation society Peter Duckworth said of the petition, which was launched at the request of villagers: "The response has been remarkable. The petition has been signed by 231 people.

"This clearly shows the depth of feeling that exists within this small rural community. All signatories were adamant in expressing their fear of the dangers that 32 tonne lorries would bring to this rural area."

Last Friday, Oakhanger's oldest resident, Dorothy Warren (87), added her name to the list of villagers opposing the waste management licence application.

She said: "I cannot get across the road quickly enough and they come so fast. The lorries come right up over the verge."

Mr Duckworth said when owner of Springfields Nursery Barry Plummer left the petition near his tills 172 customers signed.

Mr Plummer and 19 businesses on the Southlands Industrial Park are all opposing the waste management licence.

They were concerned that 32 tonne lorries would jam Latchford Lane and endanger their visits and force them to shop elsewhere, despite being loath to do so.

TJ Landfill has applied to the Environment Agency to fill the old claypits at the Brickworks with 105,000 tonnes of inert waste per annum, for three years.

But a spokeswoman from the Environment Agency said it was intending to restrict the amount of inert waste moved to 400 tonnes per day.

Permission to infill the pits was granted in 1980 by Hampshire County Council, which has not objected to the waste management licence application.

Mr Duckworth said an application to dump domestic and non-hazardous waste was rejected by Hampshire County Council in 1992.

"One of the main three reasons for rejection was that the county surveyor considered the local road network totally inadequate to safely accommodate the additional heavy lorries.

"We are advised that the county surveyor's views today are essentially the same as in 1992. However, these views are not a consideration for the Environment Agency - bureaucracy gone mad!"

He said the villagers would now have to rely on the agency's understanding of the local situation.

"The best way to demonstrate this is to either reject the application or agree to an early public inquiry."

Peter Duckworth said the collated petition was due to be sent to the Environment Agency in time for the decision on the waste management licence on June 20.