RESIDENTS living near to Donelan Trading in Darwen have shown their opposition to plans for a warehouse and offices behind their homes by writing letters of objection to the council.

They have two weeks left to object to the proposals by the Tower Road-based company but at least ten letters have already been handed to the local authority.

Donelan Trading Ltd has applied for planning permission to build the warehouse and offices which would also include a concrete parking area for 16 articulated lorries.

But residents, whose houses back on to the proposed site, have said that they would lose valuable parking space and an area often used by children living in Redearth Road.

Mother-of-one Catherine Marsden, 29, of Redearth Road, has written a letter opposing the application.

She said: "They are applying to build a car park for 16 articulated lorries which will take away all our parking.

"The problem we have at the moment is that you can only park on one side of Redearth Road because there are double yellow lines on the other side.

"So everyone on one side uses this spare land owned by Donelan.

"If this car park is built, it will be right behind our houses and it will be a case of there being our back gates, a ginnel and then the concrete wall round the car park.

"Plus there would be more traffic coming down here and the road is bad enough with lorries using it anyway.

"Everyone has started writing letters of objection because it will also affect the other side of the road because we will all be trying to park in the spaces they normally use.

"We have actually built a driveway at the back of our house but we won't be able to get to it if this goes ahead and it cost us £2,000.

"Also, because we live on a busy road, the children play on that land at the back so they will lose out too."

A meeting for residents to discuss the situation will be held at the Bridge Street Sports and Social Club in Darwen on March 29.

Local councillors have also been invited to hear their concerns.