Villagers have won their battle against plans to increase the volume of lorries using land earmarked for a Mid Sussex landfill site.

Freshfield Lane Brickworks, near Horsted Keynes, yesterday lost a bid to use their base for maintenance work on vehicles from other companies.

There is already a maintenance workshop for the brickworks' own lorries and the company wanted to take in other heavy goods vehicles from businesses such as Sussex Dairies.

At a planning meeting yesterday, West Sussex County Council turned down an application for a certificate of lawfulness to carry out the work.

Elaine Seear, of the Freshfield Action Group (Fag) said: "It's great news. If the application had gone through then in theory it would have opened the doors for any vehicles to go to the brickworks. We believe that any increase in heavy goods vehicles in the area would be dangerous."

FAG has also been fighting the possible landfill scheme since it was announced by the brickworks in December 2000. To date no formal planning application has gone through, though the company is expected to put one forward in the third quarter of the year.