Opposition is mounting to controversial plans for a new gypsy site in an East Yorkshire seaside town.

Objectors claim the encampment will be an eyesore and the first thing visitors and tourists see when they arrive in Bridlington.

East Riding Council has drawn-up plans for the new £1.4m development on a greenfield hill off Bessingby Road.

The new travellers' site will replace the existing one in Woldgate, a country lane that runs from Bridlington to Kilham.

Council officials say it is not possible to redevelop the present camp because it was built over an old refuse site and protection measures against hazardous gases are failing.

Some residents, including town mayor Councillor Cyril Marsburg, are fiercely opposed to the camp being sited in Bessingby Road.

He said: "The site will be an eyesore on one of the main routes into Bridlington and will be clearly seen by everyone.

"My fear is that putting a gypsy site at the top of a hill by a main entrance to the resort will put a blight on the regeneration of Bridlington."

Many people expressed their opposition when designs for the scheme went on public display at Bridlington Sports Centre.

Farmer Paul Jackson, from Carnaby, said: "It doesn't make sense to put the site on the top of a hill where it will be seen by everyone.

"I don't have an issue with gypsies getting a new site, but everybody accepts that Woldgate is the best place."

A spokesman for Hidden Voices, a project that fights for the rights of the traveller community, said facilities in Woldgate were appalling and they deserved something better.