A DAIRY farm is to offer bottled cow dung gas to power homes and businesses.

Crouchland Farm in Plaistow, north of Petworth, uses big tanks to break down manure from cattle to produce methane biogas called CowPow.

Rather than sell the gas wholesale, the farm will sell CowPow direct to customers.

Leon Mekitarian, Crouchland’s managing director, said that by cutting out the middle man their product would be marketed at a more competitive price.

He said: "We are very excited about our product. Gas is gas - it's no different from what comes up from the North Sea.

"This is homegrown stuff produced here in Sussex. People here will be able to use it and that's the way it should be."

Ultimately the customer arranges a gas supply with CowPow is the same way it would with a bigger company.

But the venture has upset locals, including actress Julie Walters, who are opposed to plans for upgrading the farm because of its impact on the area.

Crouchland’s planning applications have attracted strong opposition from residents over the past few years.

West Sussex County Council (WSCC) refused retrospective planning permission to upgrade the farm’s anaerobic digester, which breaks down organic matter to bottle biogas in cylinders, and other equipment in March 2015.

In addition, Chichester District Council (CDC) issued two enforcement notices last year in relation to the buildings and their uses which fall outside of a Certificate of Lawfulness granted by WSCC. The certificate relates to three planning permissions granted by CDC in 2007, 2008 and 2011.

Crouchland has appealed against the content of the Certificate of Lawfulness, against planning refusal and against the two enforcement notices.

Mr Mekitarian said he was pleased with the outcome of a two-day hearing in Chichester, which ended yesterday (May 13) over the Certificate of Lawfulness. The other issues are set for an inquiry depending on the final outcome of the hearing.

Mr Mekitarian said: "We have had our hearing and we will be pleased to get the result from the inspector in due course and put this behind us and restore faith with the local community.

"The opposition is just a handful of detractors. Whenever you diversify there are inevitably people who would rather you didn't. That's a fact of life.

"From our point of view it's just business as usual."

As a gesture of goodwill Crouchland will be offering the local parish council free gas to heat its village hall.

For more information on switching to CowPow, visit cowpow.co.uk.