ANGRY residents have set up a campaign group to oppose plans for a supermarket on Portland.

Keep Easton Alive says Bottom Coombe Quarry is the wrong place to build a £20 million supermarket and housing development.

The group says the scheme will destroy the character of Easton Square, turning it into a "mere traffic island" one the way to a supermarket.

Now the group has produced hundreds of leaflets calling on islanders to oppose the scheme.

The leaflet says: "Currently residents in Easton Square live in a community they can feel proud of and safe in.

"We encourage healthy competition and choice, and wish to see our community thrive and prosper.

"The propose development will have the opposite effect to that claimed, leading to the degradation and decay of a lively community into a mere traffic island en-route to one more supermarket."

The group claim more than 2,500 vehicles will travel through Easton each day when the supermarket is built.

They say residents will be faced with more parking restrictions, noise pollution and the loss of smaller shops.

And they say the position of the store close to a health centre and primary school puts children and old people at risk from traffic.

The leaflets calls on residents to sign and return a statement objecting to the plans.

It adds: "A number of concerns raised directly with the developer have not yet been addressed, and there has not been a full, un-biased consultation with local residents and traders."

Developers Chelverton Deeley Freed want to build a 30,000 square feet supermarket with 50 homes at the disused quarry site on Park Road owned by Stonefirms Ltd.

It is believed Tesco will run the store.

Developers are currently in discussion with the borough and county councils about submitting detailed plans.

Paddy Fox director at Chelverton Deeley Freed said: "An independent survey said that 80 per cent of people on Portland are travelling off the island to shop. Of course by keeping them on Portland the number of cars travelling through Easton will go up.

"One of the issues raised by people has been the road system and the location close to the school and health centre. We've come up with a number of potential solutions which we are discussing with the council.

"Safety is a very important point for us and we have sent a revised scheme to planners to which we are waiting for a response."