South London residents are fighting plans to put storage containers on land used to bury victims of the 17th-century Great Plague of London.

Earlier this month, people living in Semley Road and Hatch Road, Norbury, received letters from the council's housing department saying Semley Green would be used as a storage site while work was carried out on a nearby council estate.

But residents said they were not consulted and called the plan "inappropriate".

Councillor Shafi Khan said: "I have never seen such spontaneous anger in the community in Norbury."

Twenty local residents attended discussion surgeries with Coun Khan and fellow Norbury councillor Maggie Mansell, and a public protest was held. A petition is also due to be presented to the council.

Local opposition was so fierce the council is re-thinking the plan and considering alternative locations.

Geoff Langham, of Semley Road, said: "We all know this is a plague burial ground. We think of it like a cemetery. The letter said work could go on for up to 12 months. In the winter it will resemble the Battle of the Somme around here with all the ground churned up and the lorries going deep into the mud.

"I opened the letter and I couldn't believe it. It all seems to be final despite the fact we were given no prior consultation. This is not what we are used to - it seems very arrogant to me."

Coun Mansell said: "This is just the wrong place. None of us want to delay the work, but another solution needs to be found - quickly."

A spokesman for Croydon Council said: "The work is due to start in early July and it was always the intention to gauge reaction by sending the letter to affected households in advance.

"To carry out a project of this size and scale, the contractors have to provide a base which offers storage, administration and worker-welfare facilities and there are very limited opportunities available in the area.

"On receiving representations from local people, we've discussed the matter with the ward councillor and are responding by actively looking at possible alternative arrangements."