An application to move thousands of tonnes of excavated spoil from Bingley Relief Road to restore a quarry has sparked opposition from environmental groups.

Owners of the Hallas Rough Quarry have asked for planning permission to transfer 300,000 cubic metres of inert material to restore and regrade an old operational site at the Denholme works.

But members of the Aire Valley Conservation Society believe it could have a devastating effect on villages by increasing traffic, pollution and noise over a two to three year period.

Penny Ward, society secretary, said they had objected to the plan because it would cause congestion problems with lorries running through Keighley town centre and up Halifax Road.

She added the route would also be difficult to enforce, meaning hauliers could short-cut through the winding road via Cullingworth, The Twines, Harden and Bingley.

"We are looking at between 55 and 100 heavy goods vehicles per day moving up and down Halifax Road. That road is congested enough by slow-moving vehicles," she said.

As an alternative, members have suggested spoil is stored on temporary sidings and transported by rail to Wellbeck landfill site in Wakefield.

Peter Kirton, of Bingley Environmental Transport Association, which opposes the plan, said this was another example of the far-reaching impact of building roads.

"Heavy goods vehicles transporting the waste would add to local air pollution and cause increased vibration problems in the heart of Bingley, Cullingworth and Keighley," he said.

Quarry owners say the spoil will be used to flatten and re-seed a moorland area damaged by off-road cars and motorbikes which travel up and down the mounds.

Company spokesman Dennis Gillson said the quarry was the nearest site available to the road. "There will be less traffic than if we took it to a different site. We are only two-and-a-half miles away from the road."

And Danny Parker, owner of Bronte Caravan Park on Halifax Road, said the proposal would not affect visitors travelling to his 50-acre business.

"The wagons going up Halifax Road have a legal right to use the A629 and they pay road tax. You cannot see the road from here as we are in the bottom of the valley and the park is 900 yards away, with trees screening it, so there will not be a problem."

But both Cullingworth Parish Council and Denholme Town Council have stipulated they do not want extra vehicles running through the area. A decision is due to be made on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Calderdale Council has warned motorists that Keighley Road at Hebden Bridge will be closed for essential maintenance work from July 23 until the end of August, which could affect traffic movement in the area.

Heavier vehicles will be diverted down Burnley Road into Halifax, Keighley Road into Denholme and Oxenhope and Keighley Road to Peckett Well, while a burr wall supporting the highway is reconstructed.