OPPONENTS of the proposed Huntspill wind turbines say a special trip to see another wind farm up close has failed to change their opinion.

Ecotricity, which is proposing building five 120-metre wind turbines in the Black Ditch area of West Huntspill, took a group of villagers from East and West Huntspill, and Pawlett, to a site at Shooters Bottom in the Mendips last Thursday.

After the trip, Julie Trott, from the West Huntspill Wind Farm Action Group, said: “I was horrified by the amount of noise the turbine was making.

“I find it totally unacceptable that these power companies are even considering siting industrial sized wind turbines so close to people's homes.

“I came away from the visit with the impression that our lives and quality of life are of little importance to the energy companies behind the proposals. This is all about money.”

A spokesman for Ecotricity said the aim of last week's trip was not to change minds but to allow people to forge an 'informed opinion'.

He added: “Most people have never experienced a modern windmill up close because they have not seen many around.

“The idea was to give those who had never been to a site more information and the chance to see a turbine for themselves.”

He also said the distance between houses at Shooters Bottom and the turbines would be roughly the same as at the proposed Huntspill site.

The Ecotricity scheme is separate to EDF Energy Renewables' plans for nine turbines at Withy Farm, near East Huntspill.