A new campaign has been launched by residents furious about the building of homes on the green belt in their Solihull village.

More than 50 Tidbury Green villagers attended the event, saying they did not want potentially more than 1,000 homes built in their area.

Solihull needs to meet the government's target of building 8,500 new homes in the borough before 2029.

As the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) recently reported, sites around Tidbury Green were labelled potential 'grey belt' sites in an independent study.

'Grey belt' refers to lower-quality, low-value portions of protected green belt land that could be suitable for development.

Last month a scheme from developer Rainier Developments Limited to build 110 homes on land in Rumbush Lane in the village was given the go-ahead by Solihull planners.

More than 100 signs have gone up in a recent days in the front gardens of homes displaying slogans such as 'Green Belt not Grey Belt', 'Keep Tidbury Green' and '1,700 homes who asked us'.

The event on August 18 featured a protest walk with passing drivers beeping their horns in support.

The village's MP Neil Shastri-Hurst called the campaign a "battle".

He told the LDRS: "There is strong sense (among villagers) this is the wrong move for the area.

"Nobody disagrees with the principle we need more homes, but we need to build them in the right place and that's where the government has this wrong.

"We should be focusing on brownfield sites.

"It's a tough battle and the government has made it harder.

"But I was in the Army, you don't just walk away from a battle because it is tough."

Ward cllr Keith Green said: "It's the volume – 100 homes here or there would be one thing.

"But when you are talking about large sites like 800 it becomes unmanageable.

"The government is putting expectations on the council because of huge housing targets.

"But if they make a mistake you can't go back, once the green belt is gone it is gone."

Andrew Pugh-Zange, who helped start the campaign, said it was the first step with other plans in the pipeline.

He thanked residents for their support so far.

When the LDRS recently visited the area Lloyd Hudson, who has lived in the village for more than 50 years, said: "The infrastructure isn't capable of handling what is here now.

"Unless they make major alterations it is going to be problematic.

"You won't find anybody in favour of these houses being built."

Another resident said: "I'm disgusted.

"They grow crops, corn, wheat round here – how is that land grey belt?

"We have been flooded before.

"If green belt is built on, the water is all going to come off, that's what worries me."

Cllr Andy Mackiewicz, the authority's cabinet member for climate change and planning, previously said: "Decisions about whether any sites should be released from the green belt to meet future development needs across the borough will be made through the local plan process.

"The identification of potential grey belt land does not mean those areas are suitable for development.

"Nor does it mean entire land parcels assessed as containing grey belt would automatically be considered for development."