A delegation from Communities Against Ford Eco-Town, CAFE, took the document to number 10 yesterday (Thursday, October 2).

They were joined by Nick Gibb, MP for Littlehampton and Bognor, and Nick Herbert, MP for Arundel and South Downs.

Mr Herbert said: "Ten thousand is a huge number of signatories for a rural part of the world, and it reflects the strength of local feeling against the eco-town. "

The move followed a rally in June, which saw 2,000 residents of Ford, Yapton, Climping, Barnham and Arundel take to fields, and march through the proposed site of about 5,000 homes.

CAFE co-Chairman, and Yapton resident, Terry Knott said that the group had fought long and hard to persuade the housing minister, Caroline Flint, that Ford was not the right place for an eco-town.

"We endorse eco-friendly housing as much as anyone, but it must have the local infrastructure to support it."

Vice chairman Vicky Newman added that 87 per cent of the site was greenfields, and that the plans were "an old housing scheme simply given a coat of green paint".

She continued: "We hope that the housing minister will realise that we speak for the whole community.

"People of all ages and backgrounds, from towns and villages, business people, those who own their homes, those who rent and those who want better, all of whom the developer has disregarded."

The petition is the result of a six-moth canvassing campaign, by CAFE.