About 50 residents braved the rain to rally support in the fight against proposals for a 40-acre free range egg laying unit between Telford and Newport.

People in The Humbers area, near Donnington, are concerned about the plans for the 16,000-bird unit at Honnington Grange, on the outskirts of Lilleshall.

Gnosall-based dairy and arable farmer Richard Tomkinson is appealing against Telford & Wrekin Council’s refusal of permission for the unit, to include a hen hut and an egg collection and packing centre.

He has said the plans, which would create jobs, had been carefully devised to minimise the impact on people living nearby.

But residents of the Richards Road estate say the development might ruin their “little paradise”.Campaigner Gillian Aldridge, who organised last night’s public meeting in a field near where the development would be, said they were concerned about the smells from the unit.

She said anther concern was “the devaluation of properties, “but mainly it’s not being able to enjoy an outside life.”

“If you can imagine where we live, it’s a little paradise. My biggest room is the garden. I am out there all weathers,” she said.

Fears were also raised about driving along Richards Road and being faced with lorries as they came around the corner.

Mrs Aldridge said residents were concerned about the welfare of their own pets if egg unit bosses used poison to deal with vermin.

She said they already had more than 50 signatures on a petition objecting to the plans and were planning to draw up an open letter for residents to sign to be sent to the Planning Inspectorate.