Battle over incinerator

Hundreds of residents packed into a meeting vowing to fight plans for a £120million incinerator in their village dubbed "the waste dump of Worcestershire".

Around 400 villagers attended a public meeting at Hartlebury Village Hall to make their feelings known about plans for the "enormous" incinerator at the Hartlebury Trading Estate.

An action committee will be set up to co-ordinate opposition and raise cash towards a "fighting fund".

Councillors said the huge turnout showed the strength of feeling about the proposals, announced by Mercia Waste Management.

It is estimated the incinerator would process 200,000 tonnes of waste a year, converting it to electricity.

Councillor Maurice Broomfield, Worcestershire County Council member for Ombersley, said he understood residents' fears. A landfill site has recently been created in Hartlebury.

He said: "It was a full house, no more people could have squeezed into the hall.

"The people there were very anxious." He said there were fears about the "enormous size" of the plant, as well as the extra transport it would generate.

"They had a list of 87 sites and I think it's very unfortunate the one they should choose is in Hartlebury, already the waste dump of Worcestershire," he said.

Bosses at MWM say they will listen to the concerns.