EXPANSION plans at a factory which breeds millions of insects for animal food will lead to even more traffic on the already overburdened roads around it, families claim.

Peregrine Livefoods employs more than 100 people at its factory in Hastingwood Road, outside Ongar, where, along with the insects, it sells snakes, scorpions and spiders.

It has applied for planning permission to build two new breeding and storage buildings which will add another 12 lorry loads of traffic a day to the narrow country lanes around the plant.

Joseph Ghadami, 20, who lives on Hastingwood Road said: “They breed all sorts of animals there, what we are worried about is a crash and some of them escaping.

“This road is busy, a lot of people use it to get to Harlow.

“I think some creatures may have got out of there already, I saw a bright blue snake in a ditch near our house recently, it was definitely not native to this country.”

His brother, Davood, 29, said: “The road is so narrow and there is a sharp bend in the corner where the farm is, making it difficult to see vehicles coming out.

“There are already serious issues with the number of heavy goods vehicles coming in and out of the farm, and more could be very dangerous.”

Their neighbour Carmen Valery, 65, said: “You can’t even take your dog for a walk along the road now without having to dive into the ditch because of the traffic.”

Dave Parry, the company’s owner, said: “The vehicles coming from the farm make up a tiny proportion of the vehicles travelling down Hastingwood Road.

“A snake may have escaped, it is very unlikely, but residents should have reported that to us at the time.

“All of the animals we breed are non-venomous to humans and would not be able to survive for long in our climate.”