ANTI-wind farm campaigners have released a 400ft high blimp to demonstrate the turbine height of a controversial development.

An application by Ecotricity for four turbines on land south of Poplar Farm, known as Black Ditch, was rejected by Sedgemoor District Council’s planning committee last April.

But Ecotricity, also known as Next Generation, appealed against the decision and a public inquiry, run by the Planning Inspectorate, was held last week.

To coincide with the inquiry, members of the No Huntspill Wind Farm action group released a blimp to show the peak height of the proposed turbines at Emerald Pool Fisheries, near where the development would be built.

Julie Trott, from the action group, told the Weekly News: "Around 15 members helped get the blimp up. You can see it from miles away and it gives a good indication of the height of the turbines.

"We have hired it for these next three days and will be using it again for another four in May, when the landscape part of the inquiry will take place."

Ecotricity says some of the main reasons for its application being refused last year no longer apply.

It says it has agreed on ecological impact measures with the RSPB and Natural England, and points out that an earlier fear that its wind farm could be built next to another one by EDF Energy Renewables no longer applies because that project is not now going ahead.