Pub can use field as car park despite fire concern

The Dabbling Duck has used the field as a car park since last year

A pub can use a field as an overflow car park despite concerns from some villagers that it poses a fire risk.

The Dabbling Duck in Great Massingham, Norfolk, has used the field as a temporary measure and sought permission to use it permanently - with more than 60 people objecting to the idea.

A meeting at the Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk heard complaints that hot car engines or cigarettes could spark a blaze, while others said it would ease congestion and keep cars off the village green.

The council's development committee granted permission on the condition that a hedgerow was planted along the boundary to serve as a firebreak.

The pub, between King's Lynn and Fakenham, has won industry awards and the Prince and Princess of Wales have been known to visit for Sunday lunch, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Formerly the Rose and Crown, it had been derelict in the early 2000s and was due to be turned into housing before a successful community-led campaign to save it.