Plans for bigger energy-making wind turbines at an Oxfordshire farm have received the backing of 1,000 people.

A petition in favour of the turbines at Westhill Farm, Highworth Road, Watchfield, has been presented to the Vale of White Horse District Council.

Four of the five wind turbines at Westhill Farm

Original plans for five turbines were approved two years ago, but farmer Adam Twine wants to increase their wingspan by 10metres. At their tallest, they would stand 81 metres.

The Council for the Protection of Rural England has argued they would desecrate the landscape and be a nuisance to local residents.

Oxfordshire Friends of the Earth, which organised the petition, said they would generate 40 per cent more energy.

Co-ordinator Jean Saunders, of Longcot, near Watchfield, told councillors the turbines would be quieter because their blades move more slowly.

She said: "These turbines would prevent the release of at least 11,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year and provide about 9,000 people with a clean, renewable electricity supply. There will be no legacy of contamination and waste for future generations, no need to transport raw materials to produce energy and the units can be decommissioned without trace at the end of their lifespan."

Councillors will visit the site and a wind farm in North Wales, Kingston-upon-Hull, or Cumbria to see similar turbines before deciding whether to approve the plans.