Leading showjumpers frustrated at travelling three hours to events have had hopes of a new venue dashed.

The owners of Codham Little Park, in Beazley End, applied for permission to hold amateur showjumping events at the venue.

But Braintree Council’s planning committee has rejected the application, citing concerns over road access to the site, near Wethersfield.

Competitors across Essex are desperate for a new venue after the closure of the equestrian centre at the Towerlands Centre, in Panfield Lane, Braintree, last August.

Melissa Eagles, 23, of Glebe Farm, Clacton, who is among the top amateurs in England, said: “Losing Towerlands was like a massive hole left for everyone locally.

“We had nowhere to train and all of our top trainers have just dispersed and gone elsewhere."