Huge signs went up this week as protestors make a last ditch attempt to halt giant wind turbines being built on a ridge high above Falmouth and Penryn.

Motorists driving from Treliever Cross to Treluswell have been confronted by the yellow signs protesting at the possible erection of two 70-metre high wind turbines at Roskrow.

Mr and Mrs David Toms submitted an application to Kerrier district council for two wind turbines on their land at Roskrow Barton Farm early last year.

Their application was refused twice, once in the spring and then again in the autumn, but the couple, who are thought to have left the area, have now appealed to the office of the Deputy Prime Minister over the decisions.

Last week, protest signs went up on the A39 prior to the visit of a planning inspector on Tuesday next week to assess the situation for herself. The move follows the placing of similar signs on the A394 Longdowns road some weeks ago.

If the turbines win approval they will be sited on a ridge overlooking Falmouth and Penryn and would be seen from some distance.

The banners were put up by protestor Liz Thompson, whose home, Keeper's Cottage, at Wood Hill, would be in the shadow of the giant turbines.

"I think almost everybody universally around the area is very against them," Mrs Thompson told the Packet. "It's the third time it's come up so there are a lot of people very exhausted by it all and really upset. People think they're turbines the size of the other ones, but they're one and half times the size of the ones at Mitchell. They would be seen from all over the place. We're 400 metres away which is quite frightening."

Mrs Thompson said she had support from the majority of people living in the area, including those living at Treliever Farm, Higher Treliever Farm, Menkea Wartha, Menkea Cottage, Roskrow Manor and residents of Plough Court and Laity Moor. Mabe parish council is also opposed to the plan.

"I don't think anyone is in favour of it that I know of," said Mabe parish clerk, Elinor O'Connor. "The council opposed it and Kerrier turned it down. They lowered the height a bit, but didn't get permission."

The reason for rejecting the wind turbine application initially was because it would pose "a visual intrusion in the countryside," said Kerrier district council's head of planning, Jon Pender.

Now that Mr and Mrs Toms had appealed against the decision, he said, a planning inspector would visit the site and make up her mind in about a month's time. The appeal was being dealt with by correspondence and was not a public inquiry.

Kerrier has been made aware of the protest signs and a complaint about them has been received.

Mr Pender told the Packet that he thought the signs had been put up for the inspector's visit to make her aware of local feeling and would then be taken down. Kerrier district council has only approved one wind farm so far, at Goonhilly, on The Lizard.

Although the authority is in favour of renewable energy sources, Mr Pender said the Government leaning was towards offshore windfarms and Kerrier would continue to refuse wind turbines if they were an "intrusion."