Campaigners from the Stop the Swinford Wind Farm Action Group (SSWFAG), spent a number of weeks gathering the names and addresses of people opposed to the plans.

They handed the petition to the planning department at the district council on the last official date of public consultation on the proposals.

Renewable energy firm Nuon UK are seeking 11 wind turbines, each 125m tall.

SSWFAG chairman Keith Kilbane said that because the proposals affected people in a wide area, the petition had attracted signatures from a large number of villages.

He added: “Other villages will suffer the same blight, and people living in them have the same concerns.

“SSWFAG is working with people in other affected villages and we have cooperation in Shawell, South Kilworth, Stanford and Walcote and we have made contact with Gilmorton residents.”

As well as the petition, a number of people have written letters of objection about the proposals to Harborough District Council.

Mr Kilbane said that, in feedback from the council, officers had said they were surprised and pleased at the level of knowledge and understanding of the issues shown by letter-writers.

Spokesman for Nuon, Rob Fellows, said objectors were entitled to contact the district council but pointed out that the firm itself was also happy to speak to people about their worries.

He added: “I am dealing with requests for information all the time.

“We have a commitment to speaking to the public and just last week we organised a bus trip for people in a number of affected villages to a wind farm site at Burton Wolds in Northamptonshire.

“The feedback I’ve had since said it allayed some people’s fears but I acknowledge that there are some people who will never change their minds.”

l Spotlight on the area’s wind farm plans – page 20