RESIDENTS have won their fight to stop more heavy lorries driving past their homes.

A planning inspector has rejected an appeal by Clay Services Ltd and Ibstock Building Products Ltd against Durham County Council's refusal to grant planning permission for the opencasting of brickshale, fire clay and coal at Wheatley Head, near Leamside.

Residents, particularly in Woodstone Village, objected to the scheme because it would increase the number of trucks that pass their homes to other sites.

They said it would increase the amount of noise and vibration they suffer and pose a hazard to children.

The inspector, Brent Mundy, decided that the "harm that would arise from the development would not be outweighed by the benefits of development''.

He said that there was no need for the site because a similar scheme had won permission at Red barns Quarry, South Tyneside, and was just awaiting a legal agreement on site restoration.

Councillor Brian Walker, who represents Lumley on the county council, said: "I'm really pleased for the people in Woodstone and Fence Houses who have had 15 years of HGVs running up and down the road.

"This scheme would have meant a more than doubling of the traffic."