THE future of a controversial meat processing factory was in doubt last night after planners restricted opening hours to placate people living nearby.

Directors of HDV Foods, which would create 25 jobs by opening a new plant at West Auckland, are holding talks this weekend to decide whether the £500,000 project should go ahead.

A planning application submitted by the company was passed by Wear Valley district councillors on Thursday night, despite a long protest campaign from residents of Oakley Green.

But planning committee members insisted that lorries bringing in carcasses from Britain and abroad can only enter the plant on the Aptec Enterprise Park between 7am and 8pm Monday to Saturday and gates have to be locked at all other times.

Company boss Stephen Speed said last night he would be consulting colleagues over the weekend. He already runs two companies in Chilton, Corolla Products and SMS meats, with his wife Suzanne and brother-in-law George Scott, and the new venture is aimed at meeting rapidly-growing demand.

He said: "We will decide over the weekend whether it is worth going ahead.

"We wanted to be able to go in there 24 hours a day. Nine times out of ten we would be able to keep to these hours, but with the haulage industry as it is and the way the roads are it would only take one breakdown or accident to cause us big problems.

"If a refrigerated unit breaks down and we can't unload it, it could cost us £30,000 to £40,000. It might not be worth the risk."

West Auckland residents bombarded the council with complaints about the proposal and voiced their opposition at a series of public meetings.

Mr Speed said: "We have the full approval of the ministry and the EEC but there has been a lot of scaremongering about what we are doing.

"I think the planners have been intimidated by the number of people who objected."

Oakley Green resident Joyce Campbell said: "If it goes ahead we will be keeping a close eye to make sure the company sticks to the conditions."