IN a quiet corner of rural County Durham a band of mothers are mobilising in an attempt to halt a plan to bring Europe's largest landfill site to their doorsteps.

The 90-strong Wheatley Hill Mothers' Club pledged this week to fight the move they claim is an issue of "money against people".

The club has joined forces with the neighbouring Wingate Against Refuse (War) campaigners to halt the scheme that will bring decades of tipping to their communities.

Founded 56 years ago, the club has members aged from 20 to 96-year-old Eva Powell.

And it is Mrs Powell's daughter, Dorothy Peacock, who is helping lead the members into battle.

Born and bred in Wheatley Hill, Mrs Peacock said for generations her close-knit community had endured the ravages of coal mining and other landfill tips.

"And just as the villages of Wingate and Wheatley Hill are recovering and attracting new housing developments, regeneration money and bringing young people back, along comes this bombshell.''

The landfill proposal at Wingate Grange will cover an area of farmland the equivalent in size to 100 football pitches and bring more heavy traffic along the already busy A181, which dissects Wheatley Hill and Wingate.

So far, they have approached all villagers, established that an old Roman road runs through the site, and posted a protest sheet through each letterbox to be returned to planning authority Durham County Council.

During the coming weeks they will be assembling protest banners, which members will be waving at County Hall on the day in April when the planning application is considered.

"We know what we're taking on, but we live in a democracy and we will be heard,'' said Mrs Peacock, sitting at her kitchen table, strewn with location maps.

As the campaign gathered pace, Durham-based Premier Waste Management, which has lodged the application, responded to its critics.

Chief executive Dr Les Grant said his company had been searching for a suitable site for three years.

"As a company we do not import waste from outside the region, we have enough of it to deal with right here.

"Until society finds other acceptable ways of dealing with its waste we are responsible for our own.

"We have to deal with it in the most efficient and environmentally-friendly manner and Wingate Grange is the best suited to landfill in the area.''

He added: "The design of modern landfill sites is far removed from that of the old massive landfill tip.

"Less than three per cent of the site will be operational at any one time and it will be progressively restored.''

And he promised: "Wingate will be a clean, well-managed site that will have the lowest impact possible on the surrounding area."