Plans to build new reservoirs near the famous Dymock Poets' Footpath have provoked opposition.

Forest of Dean planners are being asked to approve an irrigation system for growing asparagus at Redhill Farm, Redmarley.

The application includes the erection of surface water reservoirs, sedimentation pond and associated facilities.

But the Forester newspaper reports that parish councillors, the Friends of Dymock Poets and even the former Poet Laureate Sir Andrew Motion object to the scheme.

They are concerned about the impact on the famous public footpath where poets Edward Thomas and Robert Frost once walked.

In a letter to the district council Redmarley Parish Council say: "The Poets Footpath is well established and renowned for its stunning views of the parish. The creation of a hedge line along a good proportion of this footpath would not only impact the views, it would severely restrict the views if not managed properly."

Agents for the proposed scheme deny that it would have an impact on the heritage of the area.