FURIOUS Worcester residents are opposing major plans to build 11 sports pitches opposite their homes - saying it will bring traffic chaos.

Twenty-two families in Evendine Close, Battenhall, have signed a petition calling for an urgent rethink on a nearby development.

The plans, a major scheme by the University of Worcester, is for 11 pitches, floodlights, 50 parking spaces and a changing pavilion on green fields off Evendine Close.

The street is a small cul-de-sac already suffering from congestion during the school run - and residents are worried it will get worse.

Matt Prosser, aged 37, of Evendine Close, said: "During the school run you couldn't get an ambulance or fire engine down here. It's actually dangerous.

"These sports pitches will draw a lot more traffic here, and we feel they have gone for the cheap option by saying cars can access it from our street, and not Bath Road at the other end of the fields.

"We also think it will change the feel of the area, and not for the better. If more than 50 cars use the pitches, they will end up parking up our street."

Deighton Ridge, aged 39, also of Evendine Close, said:"Everyone in the area is concerned. "Residents here cannot physically drive out the road when it's 3pm and the schools finish."

Neighbour Neil Rayner said the road was "under siege" from traffic and that there was a lot of ill-feeling.

"Most of us are not against the pitches at all, it is just to blindingly obvious they need to be accessed off a different road," he said. "There is a lot of ill-feeling here."

The plans are due to be considered by a city council planning committee on Thursday, November 23.

The land is owned by Worcestershire County Council and leased to Worcester University. It currently has two sports pitches on it.

City council deputy leader Coun Barry Mackenzie-Williams said the residents views would be taken seriously.

He said: "We will see the evidence, make a site visit and make the best decision for the benefit of the whole city - these residents will be treated totally fairly."

A spokesman for the University of Worcester said: "We've carried out a public consultation exercise with Battenhall residents and community sports teams in the area, and all views expressed have been noted and taken into consideration.

"We believe the proposals will be an exciting community asset, which will enhance the city's sports facilities for many years to come."

The spokesman also said residents would get a chance to air their views again at the committee.