A county councillor representing a rural area in Staffordshire has said he is “staggered” at the scale of quarrying proposals revealed in a county document this week.

The initial proposals, which come from the quarrying industry, formally identifies preferred sites where mass extraction of sand, gravel, clay and other minerals can be expanded, or new quarries created. Matthew Ellis, county councillor for Lichfield Rural East, said the scale of the proposals would scar the rural landscape around Lichfield forever.

He says it is vital that Staffordshire County Council takes a stance to protect the environment in the area.

Councillor Ellis said: “Although the process of agreeing new and existing quarry sites is in the early stages I want the county to take a robust view to protect the countryside around Lichfield and Tamworth.

“The proposals put to the county by the industry amount to nearly 150 million tonnes of aggregate extraction over the next 10 to 15 years.

“That is a massive amount, and would create swathes in our countryside scarring the landscape forever.”

Fisherwick, Shire Oak and Alrewas are among the areas that would be affected by the proposals.

The councillor has written to John Wakefield, the county cabinet member with responsibility for mineral extraction, urging him to prevent Staffordshire having to accommodate more quarrying than is “fair and reasonable”.

Councillor Ellis said: “Staffordshire already provides over 60 per cent of all sand and gravel extraction for the whole of the West Midlands.” The public will be able to make their views known on the proposals.

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