MORE than 150 residents of Hamilton Drive and Ferozeshah Road, Devizes, attended a public meeting on Monday to vent their fury over plans for a recycling centre near to their homes on Wiltshire County Council's Horton Road depot.

They claimed the centre would bring traffic chaos and pollution.

A parish council traffic survey carried out by 20 volunteers on three days showed 2,136 vehicles used Cannings Hill roundabout, 100 yards from the entrance to the proposed site, in nine hours. This is nearly four vehicles a minute.

Residents said they feared cars queuing to enter the recycling centre would cause a serious road hazard, especially on the roundabout, and the pollution from car exhausts would make their lives a misery.

They condemned Wiltshire County Council for dropping the original plan for a site on the Hopton industrial site, because electronics firm Tamura Hinchley had threatened to reconsider its Devizes operation if the centre was built next to its plant.

Residents claimed the Horton Road site was a quick fix solution and accused the authority of not taking into account the risks posed by increased traffic on the Horton Road.

Ann Hicks, of Ferozeshah Road, said: "The new play area has been built close to Horton Road. Do we want our children dying of cancer because of the fumes from the traffic?"

Another resident said: "The only shop is across Horton Road. It is going to be so dangerous."

A representative of Wiltshire Waste Recycling, which owns a landfill site on Andover Road, told the packed meeting at the headquarters of the Sarsen Housing Association that the firm had not been consulted on the latest plan.

Kevin James, Kennet District Council's environment and community safety manager, when challenged about the Andover Road site, said the traffic problems there were more serious than those on Horton Road.

Christine Carver, of Devizes and Marlborough Friends of the Earth, said it was imperative to get the recycling centre on the Hopton industrial site.

She said that if necessary, land there should be compulsorily purchased.

Alan Pardoe, managing director of Hills Waste, told residents there was a need for a facility close to the centre of Devizes.

He said Marlborough-based Hills wanted to develop the recycling centre, one of about 30 planned around the county, to allow people to deposit glass, newspaper, cans, textiles, old batteries and car oil.

He said the Government was committed to recycling 25 per cent of the waste usually dumped in landfill sites. This is to rise to 40 per cent by 2005.

Mr Pardoe said the household recycling centre was the best concept in reducing landfill dumping and fly tipping.

He said that noise and smell had not been an issue at other recycling sites.

Residents, however, voted unanimously against the proposal.

Parish councillor Carolyn Filmore said: "It is not a foregone conclusion. If Tamura Hinchley can defeat a plan in its backyard, I'm sure we can."