PEOPLE living on a new development near Bridgwater are furious about EDF Energy's plans to build freight facilities and a park and ride near their homes.

The proposals for the developments off junction 24 of the M5 form part of EDF's plans for Hinkley C nuclear power station.

Although the whole scheme is currently under consultation, people living in Stockmoor Village, between Bridgwater and North Petherton, say nobody from EDF contacted them directly.

John Ennis, from Stockmoor, said: “EDF didn't let us know about the project; we had no leaflets and no one knocked on our door. I only found out about it by chance.

“I think the more people are finding out about it, the more anger there is and more opposition to it. If I had known about all this before I bought the house, I would certainly not have gone through with it.”

Fellow Stockmoor residents Jonathan and Sara Kimber said they feared EDF's proposals would clog the local road network, a fear also raised by North Petherton Town Council, which will consider its response to the plans at a meeting next month.

The managing director of housing developers Persimmon Homes South-West has also written to the Mercury's Postbag to criticise EDF's scheme.

EDF said councils including North Petherton had been sent information about the plans.

A spokesman said: “We became aware that some homes in Stockmoor Village had not received copies of our newsletter advertising our exhibitions, and therefore last week we also wrote to all residents of the village inviting them to an exhibition on September 7 at the Sedgemoor Auction Centre.”