Environmental campaigners are collecting messages in used plastic water bottles to protest against Harrogate Spring Water’s plans to expand into the Pinewoods.

Trees in the area of Pinewoods known as Rotary Wood, which were planted by families in 2015, would be felled as part of a bid by Harrogate Spring Water’s parent company Danone to expand its bottling plant.

A coalition of groups has opposed the plans because they fear Danone’s plans to compendate for the loss of trees are inadequate.

Two of the groups — Harrogate and District Green Party and Extinction Rebellion — have now collected about 100 messages in bottles, which will be delivered to Harrogate Borough Council before a crunch planning decision on the proposals next month.

James Smith, from Extinction Rebellion Harrogate, called on the council to refuse the plans:

“Local residents have welcomed the opportunity to express their frustration with these proposals to take away community woodland and replace it with more plastic waste.

“People understand that our wildlife is declining and that our environment is increasingly polluted – and they want to be part of the change. We need the council to get on board with the community.”

Green Party and Extinction Rebellion members will be in Valley Gardens, near the play area, on Saturday from 10-30am to 12.30pm to collect more messages from the public.

Read more:

• Pinewoods tree protester vows to lobby council offices every week
• Stalemate continues over Harrogate Spring Water’s tree-felling plans

Local groups have met with Danone twice over the past month but are yet to reach an agreement on where to plant trees to replace ones that would be lost.

The groups include Harrogate Civic Society, Harrogate and District Green Party, Pinewoods Conservation Group, Zero Carbon Harrogate, the Rotary Club of Harrogate and Duchy Residents’ Association.