Residents in a tiny village are willing to buy farmland to save it from being turned into a giant lorry park.

Villagers at Stanford voted unanimously to try for a purchase to prevent it being used to house 3,600 lorries to counter Operation Stack.

Parish council chairman Matthew Webb told KentOnline: “The lorry park would alter the character of the village forever.

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"It would be potentially devastating, First of all it would blight property prices but also it would cause noise and light pollution and increase rubbish levels.”

Villagers are due to meet again tonight to discuss the plans further.

A campaign and and working group has been set up, both called SOS Kent (Smarter Options than Stanford for Kent).

The population of Stanford, according to the 2011 census, is just 429 so residents argue that the lorry park would multiply that by 10.

They also argue that it would devour 152 acres of arable land in an area of outstanding natural beauty.

Highways England has in a consultation offered the choice of two sites, either east or west of the village, called Stanford West and Junction 11 North.

Shepway District Council has already announced that it wants the Stanford West site.

Stanford villages complain that the six-week consultation, which ends on January 25, does not give them enough time to respond fully and is demanding a two-week extension.

The lorry park is being proposed as an alternative to Operation Stack, which had to be implemented in 32 out of 40 days from June 23 to August 1.

This was because of the twin disruptions of striking French ferry workers and illegal immigrants trying to get into Britain.

Protesters at Stanford will meet at the village’s Drum Inn tonight at 7pm.