traffic counts are to be carried out by Herefordshire Council on the road network around Croke's haulage depot at Millend Farm, Castle Frome.

The move follows an Ombudsman's decision that the former Malvern Hills District Council was guilty of "maladministration, causing injustice" in 1996, by granting retrospective planning permission for a change of use for part of the farm to a road haulage depot.

The Ombudsman recommended that an unnamed complainant living near the farm should be paid £1,000 in compensation for his time and trouble and the affects of the lorry operations on his quality of life.

The Ombudsman's report found that lorry movements caused "considerable annoyance, particularly at night".

Following a special meeting of the county's planning committee on Wednesday, Herefordshire Council, as the successor to the former Malvern Hills District Council, agreed to pay the £1000 compensation to the complainant.

The Ombudsman's report also invited Herefordshire Council to identify other residents, perhaps 40 in number, who had been similarly affected by the lorries, and to "treat them similarly" concerning compensation.

But county solicitor Marie Rosenthal said: "Until a traffic count is completed, officers cannot recommend any additional compensation or traffic restriction orders as proposed by the Ombudsman.

"This will need to be the subject of a further report back to the committee."

Two traffic counts are to be carried out on roads including the B4214; one this summer and the other in the autumn.

The majority of the haulage firm's business is with potato supplier Greenvale at nearby Town Farm.

Greenvale is applying for planning permission to extend its hours, raising fears among some local residents that, with extra work going to Croke's, their sleep could once more be disturbed by lorries.

Richard Croke, owner of the haulage firm, said extra work was vital for his firm, and he said the future of his business would be in jeopardy of Greenvale fails to get an extension to its working hours.

Greenvale was refused planning permission to extend its hours last year. Councillors are to reconsider a new submission from the company on May 26.