Alan Smith

The potential health impact of KIG on the people living nearby has yet to be addressed.

Villagers are campaigning against the proposed road-rail interchange, which would cover 264 acres of North Downs countryside, on the grounds that it would ruin village life.

But while the lorries, freight trains and thousands of workers travelling to the site may destroy leafy Bearsted, it is the impact on the villagers themselves which is concerning doctors.

Dr Will Mangar, a partner at the Snodland Medical Practice, was the first to raise the issue, saying that he was concerned that the depot could cause serious health problems, including respiratory disease, cardiovascular problems and psychological problems.

He also fears villagers could suffer a loss of concentration caused by sleep deprivation as a result of noise.

Dr Mangar said that air pollution from particulates had been directly associated with increases in respiratory symptoms, and a greater dependence on drugs by asthma sufferers.

About 40 per cent of particulates come directly from traffic. He warned: "KIG will increase the number of HGVs locally by up to 20 times the current figure. The exacerbation in small particle generation is obvious."

With the depot set to operate all day and all night, Dr Mangar also warned against the possibility of a low frequency hum that was frequently felt rather than heard.

Dr Mangar said such noises were hard to mitigate and that the psychological effects were "hard to underestimate".

See this week's Kent Messenger for a four-page special feature on KIG.