DUDLEY South MP Chris Kelly has joined the fight against controversial plans to build a new quarry in Wall Heath.

Residents led by Tim Williams, Keith Boddison and former Lib Dem councillor Dave Tyler have already started the Quarry Fighting Fund to try and put a stop to the proposal by Wombourne company FG Davis & Son (Contractors) Ltd which already operates a site in Enville Road.

And now Tory MP Chris Kelly MP is backing protestors who fear the opening up a new 10.4 hectare sand and gravel extraction site at Mile Flat, next to DK Rugby Club, and continuation of the current quarry, would generate a surge in heavy traffic and extra dust for years to come.

Mr Kelly says the scheme, which would take away three of DK’s training pitches, would be a “disaster for the people of Wall Heath and the wider area”.

He added: “The current quarry in Enville Road has been a nightmare for my constituents for many years. They have had to endure site traffic, dust, mud on the road and the blot on the landscape that is Wall Heath quarry. The impact would be double that if the second quarry were to open.

“The Wall Heath councillors and I have sent in personal letters of objection to both applications.”

He said Conservative colleague Gavin Williamson, MP for South Staffordshire, is also opposing the application which is currently under consideration by Staffordshire County Council.

Mr Kelly added: “None of us wish to see the life of the existing quarry extended. The opening of a new quarry next to the rugby and football pitches would be wrong.

“This development, if allowed, will change the local landscape for many years and must be opposed in the strongest terms possible.”

People have until next week to register objections to Staffordshire County Council via www.staffordshire.gov.uk so Mr Kelly is urging residents to make their views known before it is too late.

Former Wall Heath councillor Dave Tyler, one of the campaign leaders, said: “The quality of life in Wall Heath, Kingswinford and further afield could be damaged for at least a generation if we do not stand together as a community.”

In support of the application, consultants Vibrock have stated predicted noise levels from the site and associated traffic would be within government guidelines and they say the new operation would not reduce air quality or pose a risk to public health.

To find out more about the Quarry Fighting Fund or to make a donation towards the campaign check out the group’s new website www.qff.org.uk