'Hands off our horse'

The white horse was due to be completed in June

A group behind plans to carve the figure of a white horse into a Kent hillside has dismissed attempts to stop them.

The Green Party said on Thursday it had got the European Union to block the plans for the carving on Cheriton Hill, near Folkestone.

But councillors in Folkestone and the man who owns the land say they do not believe the EU has any right to stop them.

The horse carving was due to be completed next month as a Millennium Landmark and the outline has already been marked out.

'99% in favour'

Green Party member Klaus Armstrong-Braun, a councillor for Flintshire in Wales, took the case to the European Commission and said it had awarded the hill protected status.

English Nature objected to the carving when it was first proposed because it said the hill was a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

This is an English horse for the people of Kent and I'm not letting anyone from Brussels tell us what to do with our horse

Landowner Richard Beaugie

After a public inquiry in 2001 - which the Green Party did not attend or submit evidence to - the then secretary of state Stephen Byers ruled the project could go ahead.

Landowner Richard Beaugie, says 99% of people are in favour of the scheme, and it is too late to stop it.

He said on Friday: "We carved the horse last autumn, it's all up and running and ready to go.

"If he cared that much he should have had at least the courtesy to write a letter to the inquiry or even turn up.

"This is an English horse for the people of Kent and I'm not letting anyone from Brussels tell us what to do with our horse."

'Bizarre involvement'

Conservative councillor Rory Love, who led Shepway District Council until last week's elections, agreed.

He said: "We shouldn't be kowtowing to Europe on this, we've had a public inquiry and we've gone through the proper channels.

"One of the key issues was whether the horse could be put up there and still take account of the special needs of the site.

"If I was a councillor from Folkestone who started sticking my nose into things in Flintshire I think I'd get very short shrift - it's really rather bizarre that he should be involved here.

"We want this horse, the people of Folkestone want this horse and we want to go ahead with it."