Campaigners against plans to create two new reservoirs by quarrying up to 750,000 tonnes of sand and gravel from the north Norfolk countryside have won a reprieve.

Campaigners against plans to create two new reservoirs by quarrying up to 750,000 tonnes of sand and gravel from the north Norfolk countryside have won a reprieve.

The Stody Estate near Holt was today refused planning permission to dig the below ground reservoirs which would have stored 70 million gallons of irrigation water.

The estate asked for planning permission to remove and process sand, gravel and soil in order to create the reservoirs, next to an existing above ground reservoir.

However, Norfolk County Council's planning regulatory committee voted 7-6 against the scheme - and officer recommendation.

There had been objections from the area, including Stody Parish Council and parish councils in the surrounding area as well as “considerable objections from residents in the area”, a report to the committee said.

Most of the objections related to the possible impacts of the extraction and movement of effect of lorries on the area's local amenity and the environment.

A report to the committee said it was expected to take about seven to eight years to dig out the material, with about 100,000 tonnes being extracted each year, but the application covers a period of 10 years.

It is expected that about 700,000 to 750,000 tonnes worth would have to be processed and removed from the site using a local sand and gravel company.