I WAS interested see in last week’s “Views on the News” section of the Crediton Courier that you are collating concerns regarding the proposed Biogas Plant to be constructed at Lords Meadow.

Understandably, most of the concerns that have been raised relate to potential problems linked to the vicinity of the plant.

You include vehicle movements in your list of concerns. I am wondering if the impact of moving large volumes of crops and waste material from farms within a 12-mile radius has been identified as an important problem.

I do not yet know how much bulk material will be transported to the plant, but it is important to note that this will be transported by large tractors with trailers from the rural area surrounding Crediton.

This is an area of narrow country lanes, often with few passing places and those living in this area will be well-aware of the serious damage currently being caused to both the surface of these roads, and their adjacent verges and banks, by large four-wheel drive tractors transporting materials to and from farms.

The drivers of such tractors have little or no respect for the roads, banks and verges and if they need to pass another vehicle they simply drive into or onto the banks or verge knowing that the tractor will not be damaged.

The huge ribbed tyres simply cut into the banks and verges. As a result the roads are becoming wider, but the edges no longer have firm foundations and are crumbling or being eroded by surface water.

Elsewhere the shear weight of the tractors and their trailers are damaging the entire road surface by causing subsidence and cracks.

These roads were built for horses and carts and not the giant tractors that now use them. These tractors seem to get bigger year-on-year and one can only wonder how large they will be in a few years time.

Devon County Council faces a “time bomb” of major bills for repairing these rural roads in the near future. A strong case could be made for the costs to be met by those causing the damage, but this is another issue.

Since time is money there will be every incentive to use the largest tractors and trailers possible to transport material to the Biogas Plant.

Those using the rural lanes within a 12-mile radius of Crediton will be well-aware of the problems arising during silage and maize harvests when these large tractors race around the lanes for which they are patently far too large. The numerous signs of rubber on the roads are evidence of the potential for collisions.

We need to support our farmers in working on their farms, but there is a need to be very concerned about the introduction of plans to move more material over longer distances through the network of narrow lanes surrounding Crediton to feed the Biogas Plant.

If the plans were for a quarry somewhere in the rural area, there would no doubt be major concerns over the frequency of lorry movements, the size of such lorries relative to narrow roads and the inadequacy of the road network.

Similar problems also exist for the current proposal for a Biogas Plant which will be supplied from the surrounding local area and need to be considered.

The network of narrow country lanes is inadequate, is already overloaded and cannot sustain additional damage.

Name and address supplied