AN East Hampshire district councillor has warned that that the effects on Grayshott of the A3 tunnel could be an "absolute nightmare".

Ferris Cowper, the district councillor for the village, made his comments ahead of the public meeting due to be held Grayshott Village Hall on Wednesday.

Large crowds were expected at the meeting, called by the Highways Agency after its original presentation on the £107 million project in September was criticised for not being held in a large-enough venue.

Grayshott councillor Ferris Cowper told The Herald: "Except for Hindhead, Grayshott has the biggest problem to face. I'm expecting a high turnout of Grayshott people at the meeting."

He continued: "Historically, the national agencies have considered this a Haslemere, Waverley and Surrey County Council issue. To be fair, Grayshott is now getting recognised, but it has been very hard."

Mr Cowper believes that there are two issues to address: long term - what will happen to traffic and access once the tunnel is built - and short term - what will happen in the nine years between now and then?

"In the short term, there are a number of big problems from a Grayshott perspective. How best to get to Haslemere station? They keep changing the phasing of the crossroad lights, but it can be difficult to get access."

What is worse, he claimed, is "a lot of southbound traffic will jump the red light".

He also maintains that the 68-home housing development on the former Happy Eater site will make the traffic problem even worse in the next two years.

"There are planned closures to Hammer Lane and Nutcombe Lane, which are the two main rat-runs. This means Grayshott will take a third of the volume of traffic, which is an absolute nightmare."

Residents in surrounding areas have expressed fears over how the tunnel will affect them. In a letter to the Highways Agency, Michael and Deborah Perret from Critchmere Hill say that people living in Nutcombe, Hammer and Critchmere had not been been sufficiently informed about tunnel plans.

Their letter continues: "All the roads in question are completely unsuitable for any increase in traffic, particularly the heavier goods vehicles which are likely to use these roads as a short cut."

County councillor Christine Stevens said this week: "Basically, people are concerned about the ongoing potential for unsuitable rat- running with the proposed tunnel arrangements southside."

She said that she had taken the matter up with council engineers.

"The Highways Authority has been made aware that we do not wish to see significant access for the A3 on these minor roads and we are asking for a review. I wholly share people's concerns. The tunnel really must bring an effective solution with access via major roads, not narrow country lanes that are totally unsuitable. We expect the tunnel to improve quality of life in Haslemere."

And she declared: "Now is the time to speak up - before final details are decided. The scheme needs to respect local views and secure safe, quiet lanes alongside an efficient trunk route."