FURIOUS residents opposed to plans to store gas in an underground reservoir beneath their homes are to hold a public protest after planning officers recommended approval for the scheme. Scottish Power already uses one depleted natural gas reservoir at Lindholme, near Doncaster, for gas storage and has applied for permission to use another one nearby. At present, gas is pumped underground by the firm during times of low consumer demand, and is then pumped back out and into the national pipeline network when the need for gas increases. Scottish Power now want to use the neighbouring reservoir, called Hatfield West, to increase storage capacity and build new pipelines to its existing gas processing plant to cope. But people who live in Lindholme Village, which stands on the site of a former RAF base, have objected to the plan after it emerged that the reservoir was directly beneath their houses. Members of Doncaster Council’s planning committee are set to discuss the application on Wednesday, and the Lindholme Village Action Group said it would protest outside the Mansion House before the meeting. People who live in the village made a presentation to councillors on Friday afternoon in a bid to demonstrate their concerns over what they feel are possible dangers posed by the gas scheme. Andy Tilley, who was involved in the presentation, said: “This is an important time, not just for the residents of Lindholme but for similar resident groups across Doncaster who face pressure from large commercial giants wanting to make profits from potentially dangerous activities in residential areas. “We are a small village on the outskirts of Doncaster and the work that we’ve done over the last nine months, in terms of bringing together the community and fighting a huge company like Scottish Power, shows that the little man or woman in the street is not willing to just simply roll over let this be ‘done’ to them.” The group said it had support from members of Hatfield Town Council and local district councillors Martin and Carol Williams, who claimed that Scottish Power had done little to allay residents’ fears. Coun Martin Williams said: “There is a lot of fear in the village surrounding the plans. Residents have a right to be fearful. If this was a metal container on the ground and not under the ground, it would be a mile wide by a mile long, containing gas. “How would anyone feel having that sat next to their home, or underneath their home as residents in Lindholme might have?” In a report to the planning committee, officers say they have received 111 letters opposing the gas storage plan, which detail concerns in several areas, including the risk of a leak or explosion. Other worries expressed in the letters include the terrorist threat a gas storage facility could pose, potential devaluation of property and the impact on Hatfield Moor, which is a Government-designated site of special scientific interest. Amanda Lane, the secretary of the Lindholme Village Action Group, said more than 50 residents were expected to take part in the protest outside the meeting and said they wanted reassurance over the plan. Mrs Lane said independent experts had examined the application put forward by Scottish Power. She added: “The Lindholme survey is one which leading experts in oil and gas exploration have condemned as poor and unreliable”. In its application, Scottish Power points out that the Government supports new gas storage plans as part of its energy security policies and says it is willing to enter into agreements about noise from drilling and associated transport.