TE Lawrence's grave site concerns appeal over quarry plans

It is claimed the quarries would spoil the experience for visitors to TE Lawrence's grave in Moreton

Campaigners are aiming to protect the site of TE Lawrence's grave which they say is under threat from plans for three nearby quarries.

Woodsford Quarry, near Moreton, Dorset, would be extended, with two new quarries also created in the village.

The county council submitted its plans to the Secretary of State last month.

Frome Residents Against Mineral Extraction (FRAME) has launched a £1,500 appeal to make legal representations against the proposals.

Lawrence died in 1935 following a motorcycle accident near Bovington

FRAME previously said the plans would see the grave's setting at St Nicholas' Church "utterly spoilt" for visitors.

Clarice Wickenden, from the group, said: "Most of us in the community are not legal experts so this is why we have to raise funds for expert legal support."

She added the group planned to hire a barrister to make representations to the planning inspector.

More than 1,000 people and organisations responded to a public consultation on Dorset County Council's county-wide minerals plan.

Opponents have also raised concerns over the proximity of the three Moreton quarries to listed buildings in the village, as well as increased traffic and flooding.

The proposals were sent to Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Sajid Javid on 29 March and a public hearing is due to be held in June.

Woodsford Quarry would be extended under the proposals, while new quarries would be created at Station Road and Hurst Farm

Scholar and soldier Thomas Edward Lawrence - known as Lawrence of Arabia - was born in Wales in 1888.

He found fame in World War One when he helped lead a series of guerrilla operations, known as the Arab Revolt.

The Oxford scholar wrote about his experiences in his book Seven Pillars of Wisdom, which helped form the basis of the film about his life, Lawrence of Arabia, starring Peter O'Toole.

He spent many years living in Dorset, where he died in a motorcycle crash, near Bovington, in 1935.