A tenant farmer told Cheshire East her family would lose their livelihood and home and the countryside would be destroyed if the Peak Cluster CO2 pipeline goes ahead.

Vicky Gilman pleaded with the council on Wednesday, July 16, to oppose the controversial pipeline project 'for the sake of farmers, their livelihoods, and our beautiful, irreplaceable Cheshire countryside'.

"If the pipeline cuts through our farm, our cows will have to be sold," she said.

"Ninety per cent of our income comes from the milk produced by our dairy herd. Without this, we will not be able to pay the rent for the farm."

She said that in the 1980s, a water pipe was installed and it took 30 years for the land to recover to its original state.

The controversial pipeline led to yet another protest outside the meeting of full council, which was held at Jodrell Bank.

And there were clashes inside, with one protester being told to leave, when a notice of motion from the Tories calling for Peak Cluster to be debated at that meeting was referred to cabinet by the mayor.

Mayor Judy Snowball explained motions are normally referred to the relevant body.

She said: "Once the motion goes to cabinet and is discussed there, it is a decision after that of cabinet if it comes back to full council."

Cllr Sue Adams (Didsbury, Con) then asked why the motion on the future of Jodrell Bank was being discussed, but Peak Cluster wasn't.

Cllr Snowball referred to Jodrell Bank being time-sensitive and said: "It is the decision of the mayor."

One protester then called out: "You're the mayor, not god."

Another shouted: "Can I just say that Peak Cluster is also time-sensitive."

Deputy leader Michael Gorman (Wilmslow, Ind) then said: "This is a democracy and, as such, we have to take into account all views, not just the views of people who have come here to demonstrate…

"We must allow all town and parish councils the ability to discuss and consider this issue fully, and we must support them in doing so.

"We also need to hold the feet of the company of Peak Cluster to the fire. We need more information."

He said following a corporate policy meeting in April, officers were seeking the feedback of members and town and parish councils and would carry out 'further investigatory assessment and analysis on the proposed route, the negative impacts on Cheshire East, including the environmental impact, the location and impact of above ground installations, benefits during construction and operational phases, if any, and health and safety concerns'.

He said this information would go to cabinet to form part of the next consultation.

And he said this consultation would include public meetings, 'so that we can ask and allow the public to really make their views known'.

As Cllr Gorman was speaking the first protester continued to shout out and the deputy leader asked for him to be removed if he continued.

The protester said he would leave because the meeting was undemocratic.

Cllr Gorman told him: "Well, democracy means listening as well as talking."

The protester stormed out of the conference hall, shouting: "It means representing the people who pay their taxes for you to be here. Do the right thing."

The Peak Cluster motion was referred to cabinet for discussion.

Three other councils which will also be impacted by the 121-mile pipeline – Wirral, Cheshire West & Chester and Derbyshire – have all written to government objecting to the proposals.