A GO-KARTING club’s plans to increase its number of race days has come under fire from neighbours.

In February, Forest Edge Kart Club put forward a bid to extend the amount of permitted days from 28 to 38 days at its track in Drayton Road, Barton Stacey.

The organisation says the extra days will allow it to host a round of the British Kart Championships .

With the event requiring five racing days, the track’s current allowance would leave it “with no contingency days”.

The application adds: “The races are spread across a weekend, with the race days themselves generally held on a Sunday, with practice races and checks held on the Saturday before.

“If, for whatever reason, a race day cannot go ahead, the club does not have enough leniency built into the calendar to allow them another weekend to make-up the days lost.”

However the scheme has drawn criticism, with around 80 objections to planning authority Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC).

In a comment to TVBC, neighbour Alison Cooper said: “We already tolerate 28 days of the constant and continual screeching of tyres and squealing of engines, which has become the soundtrack to many summer weekends.

“This cynical attempt to extend it by another 10 days means is not acceptable. We have more than our fair share of noise pollution from this track already.”

The club says since it began operating karting in May 2004 there has been no complaints or problems and the wealth of complaints came as a surprise to club chairman Robert Dodds.

He said: “I would like to think we are good neighbours, we help out local charities. I think we also put a lot of money into the local community.

“It [the increase] is not so we can take more money, we are keeping young people off the streets, giving them an interest, and people are coming from all over the country.”

Mr Dodds, who has been a member for around 25 years, said that there was a surge in objections to the plan over the weekend following a Facebook post.

“I am quite upset by it, I think I am very approachable. If there is a problem I will do my best to solve it.

“I was expecting some objections but I was hoping to be listened to.”

He added: “Unfortunately some people said we were trying to slide things through because they are occupied by the incinerator but that is not the case.”

Another anti-comment, from Anna Bennett, read: “Ridiculous increase. This is already a highly intrusive noise-nuisance which ruins too many spring and summer days in the garden for anyone local.

“This is a rural area and the noise of these karts’ engines both when they are accelerating and braking travels throughout the villages of Longparish and Barton Stacey.”

Bryony Mitchell added: “The existing noise levels from the karting track in operation ruins the peaceful enjoyment of our home and garden, this is especially frustrating in the summer and at weekends when the rear of the house is in use by our family.”