A 75-year-old  former England international race walker hopes to help block plans for two quarries near Black Country homes by trekking 26 miles to deliver a petition.

Grandfather Eric Horwill, also a member of Dudley & Stourbridge Harriers, will do the marathon distance from the Wall Heath community centre to Staffordshire County Council’s  headquarters in Stafford.

The retired Halesowen College lecturer will hand in a petition with about 3,000 names on it protesting about FG Davis’ plans  to extract sand and gravel from land at the Mile Flat, off Swindon Road, on the Dudley/Staffordshire border. A six-week public consultation on the plans ends on Monday.

Mr Horwill will leave at 7am on Monday and use canal towpaths and former rail lines to arrive at about 4pm. He will be joined by veteran walker Tony Collins of Bromsgrove.

Mr Horwill, of Enville Road, who once walked 100 miles in 24 hours, said: “I’m doing this to create publicity for the campaign. A quarry would devastate the areas. The walk will be like a hop, skip and a jump to me even though I am a few years older now.

“But I’m still in good shape although I’ve not been too well and had to get clearance from my doctor for the walk.”