Planners have given unanimous approval to build 20 moorings along the Grand Union Canal near a village pub.

A retrospective application for the moorings off Bakers Lane between Knowle and Chadwick End was supported by Warwick District Council members last night, despite it receiving 40 objections.

The moorings, near the Black Boy pub, are already part built but work was halted when it was discovered they were being built outside the agreed area.

Residents and parish councils said the narrowboats and the mounds of displaced earth would be an eyesore in the Green Belt.

"I urge you to refuse this application because of its visual impact on the Green Belt," said chair of Lapworth Parish Council Cllr Clive Henderson at last night's planning meeting.

"The visual impact of a collection of moored boats is not compatible with the retaining of the openness of the Green Belt."

But an officers report, which recommended that the scheme be approved, said there would be little impact.

"It is concluded that the development represents an engineering operation, which would preserve the openness of the Green Belt, and it would also not conflict with any of the purposes of including the land within it, given the nature of development and its location," the report said.

Councillors included a number of conditions for the development which will prevent the boats being stayed in overnight, limit the number to 20 and ban any lighting from being installed on site.

Speaking in defence of his application Mr Edward Flaherty said he understood residents' concerns and was doing what he could to address them.

"There is great concern over the appearance of the site - the site is disgusting and I am so ashamed of the site," he said.

"But we tried to rectify that work last October and your own enforcement officer got in touch and said do not go any further with this work because you have not had the full permission yet.

"We are desperately trying to address that situation and level the site, landscape the site and manage the site, as well as the tree planting that is going on there."