David Murray has a range of business interests

Protesters claim the Dalmacoulter scheme will leave the Lanarkshire village encircled by either landfill or open-cast sites.

They say the sites have caused health and environmental problems when chemicals have leached from the landfill sites and dust and dirt from the mines as well as increased lorry traffic on narrow roads.

And they claim another giant tip in the locality will further depress house values.

The attempt to fill in the crater is by G M Waste Management - a joint venture between the Gillespie family and the Murray Group.

Villagers claim the original licence for the opencast site, granted to British Coal, insisted the area should be infilled and landscaped. But there was no mention of landfill refuse work.

Greengairs Environmental Forum spokesman Ian Lewis said: "This will mean encirclement for the village and frankly most people have had enough.

"We are holding a public meeting over this. The villagers feel let down by North Lanarkshire Council and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency."

Villager Gus McArthur said: "David Murray should come here to live to see how he likes it.

Greengairs residents have fought many battles over rubbish

"I would be happy to take him around the village to look at the different opencast and landfill operations.

"I have lived her all of my life and the quality of life has gone downhill since the green light was given to these activities. We just feel as though we are constantly under seige."

Villagers blockaded one landfill operation after it was discovered that PCB waste from England was being dumped there.

The waste was not allowed to be dumped in England because of stricter environmental standards there.

Friends of the Earth director Kevin Dunion said: "This is the final straw for many people in the village. Greengairs is the most blatant case of environmental injustice in Scotland."

But a GM Waste spokesman said: "The application has been submitted following detailed environmental assessment.

"This assessment involved discussions with North Lanarkshire officers and meetings with Sepa and other bodies.

"GM Waste have given careful consideration to all matters relating to all environmental aspects of the application."

He added: "What will fill the area will be non-hazardous commercial and household waste."