CAMPAIGNERS fighting church hall plans in a New Forest graveyard have been accused of "asking for trouble" when they staged their latest protest.

As reported in yesterday's Daily Echo, more than 100 demonstrators turned up outside Hordle Parish Church while its annual meeting was taking place.

The campaigners are fighting church plans to build a hall in the graveyard and when members of the church arrived for the meeting, they were greeted by people with banners, rattles and claxons.

Church spokesman Rev Graham Smith explained: "The result was a 'Rent-a-mob' situation, which the committee and church members had to run the intimidating gauntlet of the pavement crowded with the objectors' supporters."

But the conflict also found its way inside the church, with campaigners not on the church's electoral roll refusing to leave the meeting when asked.

They were eventually persuaded to depart, although some shouted in defiance.

Accusing the objectors of "asking for trouble" by having sound equipment to support their protests, Rev Smith said: "The objectors' committee has lost all credibility.

"I have at times doubted their motives and now they have shown themselves in their true colours. They do not seem interested in reconciliation and healing the rift in the village, for which the church has admitted some responsibility.

"In fact, they are making things far worse."

He appealed for the committee to disband and make way "for other leaders to emerge" who were really interested in reconciliation.

Objectors' spokesman Tim Boyce stressed that his group was interested in finding a solution and had put forward three alternatives - one at a nursery, one on the Rosoman Memorial Hall site and one on a woodland site - to building in the graveyard.

He described the protest as "noisy but good-natured."