PLANS to expand a business park have sparked more than 20 objections from anxious villagers.

A bid has been launched to build 13 new units on Beckingham Business Park in Tolleshunt Major.

Concerned residents say there is already too much traffic on the village's roads.

One objector said: "How can this even be considered?

"We have lorries speed through our village 24 hours a day.

"I personally have had lorries pull into my drive, so they could turn around.

"Posts that I have outside my bungalow are regularly damaged.

"I removed my hawthorn hedge alongside of the road, because I regularly had to jump out of the way of a speeding lorry.

"Considering I am partially disabled and not quick on my feet, I am dreading the day that I may not be fast enough to jump out of the way."

Little Totham Parish Council is opposing the application

It said: "It will generate a significant amount of traffic and the roads in the vicinity have not been upgraded.

"This site is already an unsuitable location for a business park and this development will just exacerbate the situation.

"It is not a sustainable location. The roads are all secondary roads and the development will have an unacceptable impact on the highways.

"Recent traffic surveys conducted in Little Totham have proven that over 1,400 vehicles a day travel through the villages – 400 of those vehicles are commercial.

"The number of units being proposed, will increase the pressure on the roads even further."

The planning application says the additional units would provide a range of employment opportunities and could take the number of people working at the site to about 120.

It says: "The transport assessment concludes that whilst transport impacts of the proposal will lead to a small increase in traffic on the local highway and transport network, the increase will not have an detrimental impact for the purpose of highways safety and capacity."

Maldon District Council will decide of the application gets the go-ahead.