DEMONSTRATORS caused traffic chaos when they used horseboxes to pen councillors in a farmyard yesterday.

Queues of angry motorists grew behind the horsebox drivers, who sounded their horns and pulled up outside the yard where City of York councillors were making a planning site visit.

Horsebox drivers, Jane Wood and Alyse Clancey, took direct action over plans they say mean more lorries on the narrow lane in Murton, York, and said they wanted to show planners the road was unsuitable for large vehicles.

Damar Farms wants to convert an agricultural building to a garage for agricultural lorries and a base for a mobile vehicle repair unit at Moor Lane Farm.

The company's agents said highways experts had no objection to the scheme, which planning officers have recommended for approval.

But the demonstrators say the road is narrow, dangerous and cannot cope with lorries.

As the women made their protest, motorists began inching up the grass verge to get past, or made a series of tight manoeuvres to turn away but one of the horsebox drivers then put her vehicle diagonally across the road to stop cars getting past.

Councillors at first ignored the honking horsebox drivers and continued their site visit.

But when their minibus tried to leave, it came to a halt in front of the horseboxes.

After five minutes of talks, the protestors cleared the way for the councillors to leave.

Ms Clancey said: "Moor Lane cannot cope with the traffic it carries at the moment. A business of this type should surely be housed in an industrial estate, of which there are many in the area."

Murton Parish Council objected to the application.