A Ryedale company's plans to expand and create more jobs could be in jeopardy if residents carry out a threat of legal action against a planning application.

Pro-Pak Foods Ltd wants to extend its premises at a site off York Road, in Malton, on to an existing travellers' site.

In order to expand, the firm has been told it must find a new site for the travellers.

Members of Ryedale District Council's central area planning committee are due to make a decision over the planned move at their meeting tonight.

But the firm's choice of a new site for the travellers, on the opposite side of the York Road, has met with angry opposition from nearby residents who claim they were not given enough warning by council officers.

They say the plan to move the travellers near their homes is illegal because it breaks planning regulations. And they claim that if councillors do not ditch the plans they will launch a legal challenge.

Rupert Hanna, who lives in Musley Bank, near the proposed location of the travellers site, says residents were not given enough warning of the plan.

"I would think it is the responsibility of the planning officers to notify nearby residents," he said.

"This site will devalue my property and my privacy will suffer from the noise which comes from the site."

James Brown, also a resident in Musley Bank, said he was concerned the travellers site will become the first thing visitors see when they drive into the town.

"The travellers site is hidden on lower ground at the moment but if it is moved to the opposite side of the York road it will be on rising land and visible to traffic coming in to Malton," he added.

"The site is ugly and it does not set a good impression for people visiting the town.

"I am also worried about the noise and the disturbance on my property; the issue affects about nine households along Musley Bank."

Mr Hannah says he was only told about Pro-Pak's plans about ten days ago.

"They apparently posted a notice up somewhere but we didn't see anything," he said.

"We have sent our objections into the council but if councillors do not support our claim, we will be challenging the decision in the courts."

Pro-Pak, which prepares chilled foods for supermarkets, employs 150 people, but managing director David Longbottom told the Evening Press two weeks ago that the company's expansion would lead to the creation of a significant number of jobs.

He said today he was surprised residents had not known about the planned move of the travellers' site.

"The plans have been up for weeks; the planning process is deliberately slow to allow people to get their objections in," he said.

"The travellers' site is already visible from the road; we just want to put it on the opposite side."