A factory farm at the centre of an ongoing planning row has been accused of harming nearby nature sites by burning disused poultry sheds.
Villagers living near Great Hockham have said Norfolk fire crews had to be called to Brookside Farm as flames rose 30 feet into the sky while the sheds were being burnt.
They believe about 10 large poultry sheds were set alight in March over the course of four weeks, by workers at the Hook 2 Sisters site.
Brookside Farm in Great Hockham (Image: Stow Bedon and Breckles Parish Council)
It follows the firm building new structures at the farm without permission, sparking an investigation by Breckland Council, as part of its efforts to increase production from 106,000 birds to 434,000.
Officials have ordered the company to cease any further construction work but villagers say a further six sheds were constructed despite warnings to stop.
Stow Bedon and Breckles Parish Council, whose parish neighbours Great Hockham, has said villagers are concerned about pollution affecting a nearby Site of Special Scientific Interest and Special Area of Conservation.
An aerial view of Brookside Farm, taken in March 2025, before demolition work took place (Image: Google Earth)
A spokesman said: "The operators, without proper authority, demolished and burned those buildings right beside a protected wildlife site, river and public highway.
"They then started building, without any planning permission, and in spite of being in receipt of a verbal stop notice. "
The council has also complained about asbestos roofing being removed and broken up on-site.
"This would have amounted to many hundreds of square metres of toxic material being removed and smashed," the spokesman added.
Storage containers placed at Brookside Farm in Great Hockham (Image: Campaign Against Factory Farming)
The parish council has complained to the Environment Agency and the UK Health and Safety Executive about the works.
It is also consulting with Natural England, Norfolk Wildlife Trust and the RSPB in opposing the farm's expansion plans.
An application to the Environment Agency to change the farm's permit has been met by 1,272 objections, with people worrying that increasing production will lead to the risk of nature sites becoming polluted by the waste the birds will produce.
A temporary stop notice has been issued by Breckland Council and it has requested that a retrospective application be made to the authority by Hook 2 Sisters for the unauthorised work.
Hook2Sisters has been approached for comment.
A spokesman for the Environment Agency has said it has received no evidence of any fires and that it is reviewing the parish council's response to the permit application.