A couple living close to a manure plant say proposals to expand the fertiliser factory "absolutely stink".

In 2005 Tamar Organics at Ashlyns Farm in North Weald was granted permission by Essex County Council to start importing and processing plant compost, and then exporting manure.

In the years since the farm's yearly quota of manure rose from six tonnes to 25, with 20 HGVs servicing the plant each day.

Since it stopped operating as an organic farm and switched to artificial fertilisers, and in a bid to comply with a North London order for 22 tonnes of compost a year, Tamar Organics has needed to expand.

Its owners have submitted an application asking to increase manure production from 25 to 45 tonnes a year and maximum HGV movements a day from 40 to 62.

Ann Baldwin, who lives nearby on Epping Road with her husband Martin, is unhappy with the proposals.

She said: "There will be a lot of lorries a day coming off onto the 414.

"It will be a lot of lorries going past the kids playground.

"Also the smell from the compost is getting ridiculous.

"We are quite a way from it, but imagine if we backed onto it.

"It absolutely stinks.

"When it is bad the people down the road have to shut all their windows.

"They also get a lot of fruit flies."

Andy Sibley, head of organics at Biogen, said: "The amount of compostable material that can be processed at Ashlyn’s Farm is currently restricted by a planning condition. Unfortunately, this means that the facility is unable to currently accept some customers green waste, this results in having to turn away customers. This can lead to customers transporting green waste considerable distances to the nearest alternative facility.

"To help meet demand, we are seeking to vary a planning condition. There will be no increase in the site infrastructure. We have commissioned a third-party company to investigate the impact on the highways which confirms that the increase of inputs will have a negligible impact on the local road infrastructure.

"Green waste processed at Ashlyn’s Farm reduces landfill and is recycled to provide a fertiliser product that displaces nitrogen-based fertiliser. Biogen is committed to meeting customer needs and increasing recycling of waste in the UK, the business operates all facilities to the highest standards."