77386SWINDON Town FC's goalkeeper has joined the fight to stop a Kentucky Fried Chicken opening in Ash Brake. The fast food firm wants to open its fourth Swindon branch at the entrance to the Ash Brake estate on Pennine Way.

But a public meeting for worried residents has been planned for next week and now Town's Rhys Evans is joining the campaign.

"I was shocked when I heard about it," said Rhys, 23, who lives nearby with his girlfriend Rachel Cripps, 24, and 18-month-old son Louis.

"This is a residential area. I cannot envisage any need for it and it will be an eyesore.

"I paid a lot of money for my house and I didn't pay it to live by a takeaway."

As well as the traffic, litter and smell the footballer says would be caused by the fast food outlet, Rhys is worried about the health of local youngsters if they are encouraged to eat junk food. "It is preying on young children," he said.

"From my point of view, especially because of what I do and how I have to live my life, it is worrying that the kids are being overexposed to it."

Meanwhile, ward councillor Justin Tomlinson (Con, Abbey Meads) has organised a public meeting for residents to discuss their concerns ahead of the proposals going before the council's planning committee on May 24.

KFC and the firm which would develop the site have both been invited to the meeting.

"I've organised the meeting because firstly we want to make sure all the residents are up to speed with what is going to happen at the planning meeting the following week," he said.

"We also want to relay a crystal clear message to the applicants that we are totally opposed to this application. For the long term that means we believe they will have no local customers, which is surely vital to the viability of this project."

Campaigners opposed plans by McDonald's to open on the same site three years ago but the company was put off because it was told it could only open at 10am, ruling out its normal breakfast trade.

But KFC does not open for breakfast and campaigners are worried there will be no legal planning grounds to stop the application.

"I am very worried," said Coun Tomlinson.

"We will continue to explore all the options but my view is that consumer power is our greatest weapon."

The public meeting will start at 7pm on Wednesday, May 18, at Abbey Meads Church, Abbey Meads Village Centre.

Swindon Council's planning committee is to discuss the plans at 7pm on Tuesday, May 24, at the Civic Offices, Euclid Street.

A KFC spokesman said: "KFC GB Ltd has put forward a planning application to the relevant authorities and we will wait for their decision."

Isabel Field