Abattoir bosses in traffic pledge

Abattoir bosses in north Shropshire who put forward plans to double the size of their plant have vowed to tackle traffic problems blighting the lives of villagers.

At a behind-closed-doors meeting last night, representatives from Anglo Beef Processors, at Hordley, near Ellesmere said they would try to address the concerns of 40ft lorries trundling through the villages.

ABP has applied to Shropshire Council for permission to bulldoze its abattoir and replace it with a modern, more energy-efficient complex twice the size, which has caused concern among residents who say their lives are already blighted by the existing plant, particularly in terms of traffic problems.

Councillor Derek Jones, chairman of Hordley and Bagley Parish Council, said the meeting was held between councillors and ABP representatives to get answers to questions raised by residents.

He said: "Years ago when they had a big expansion here, part of the agreement was traffic leaving the site should go on a designated route to Queens Head. A lot of money was spent on it so vehicles could pass.

"What's happened is the lorries have got much bigger. There's a railway bridge down by Queen's Head some of the lorries can't get under. There are only a few, so we allowed them to come from Baschurch and Weston Lullingfields and into the plant from the south."