Villagers fear plans to build a slaughterhouse on a farm would cause traffic chaos and disturb an ancient woodland's wildlife.

An application for the erection of the slaughterhouse and an ancillary meat processing plant at Curtis Farm, in Green Lane, just outside Rusper village, has been lodged with Horsham District Council.

It would supply mutton and lamb to London and major towns in the South East.

Campaigners have formed Rusper Against Slaughter-House (Rash) to fight the plans.

They fear the slaughterhouse will clog up Rusper's narrow lanes with lorries ferrying animals to the farm and carcasses out of the farm.

Other concerns include siting the slaughterhouse in an area of unspoiled pasture land adjacent to South Wood, which is rich in wildlife and home to nesting buzzards.

Businessman Phil Harris, 64, of Rash, said: "Cattle trucks supplying this slaughterhouse will cause traffic congestion. The entrance to the farm in Horsham Road has had six traffic accidents in the last 18 months on top of a fatality at the junction with Green Lane.

"The road is a rat-run for Gatwick and the areas surrounding Gatwick.

"Other roads surrounding this farm are very narrow lanes and lorries coming from Dorking will have to use them."

Roger Meekins, 65, treasurer of Rusper Bridleways Association, said ten per cent of people in Rusper owned horses but there were only five bridleways.

He said: "A 16-year-old girl riding a pony along a narrow lane and being confronted by a lorry of terrified animals is a recipe for disaster. Lorries will not stick to Horsham Road because the shortest route will always take you through the country lanes."

Campaigners also fear lorries could accidentally leak oil into the woodland's watercourses.

And they are concerned that a new slaughterhouse could threaten the viability of existing slaughterhouses in Henfield, Cowfold and Adversane.

David Turner, owner of the farm, said a slaughterhouse would reduce traffic by about third.

His agent, Horsham-based chartered surveyors Henry Smith, explained that the farm has already had livestock for a number of years and the current buildings can house 5,500 sheep.

Angus Farqhar, planning adviser at Henry Smith, said: "For the last seven years, as and when these sheep are ready for slaughter they are loaded on to a lorry and taken off to slaughter to Hampshire.

"The route is along Horsham Road and then on to the Horsham Bypass through to Guildford and then Hampshire.

"The slaughterhouse will cut that live sheep movement.

"They will merely go from the livestock rearing buildings directly to the slaughterhouse on the farm."

Mr Farqhar added that the slaughterhouse would not affect the woodland as it would be fenced off.