HUNDREDS of Winsford residents have signed a petition against a waste incinerator being built on Winsford Industrial Estate.

The Guardian reported last week that plans to build an incinerator on the industrial estate, which were submitted by Energ8, have now been given planning permission from Cheshire West and Chester Council.

The plans were approved without going to a planning committee.

However, Energ8 still have to obtain an environmental permit to be able to carry out the incineration work, and more than 800 Winsford residents have signed a petition to refuse that permit in the past week.

Andrew Rogerson, 79, of Middlewich Road said: “We want proper answers as to what it’s going to do to our health, and what it’s going to do to the value of our houses.

“We weren’t consulted properly, and the application was pushed through without even going to a committee. The incinerator will back onto my house and the first I heard of it was reading about it in the Guardian.”

After initial plans showed little detail in regards to what the plant would be processing, it has now been stated that it will process a ‘mixture of mixed bag waste, organic material, cardboard, paper off cuts, plastic, wood off cuts, and cloth off cuts.”

A public consultation into the application of an environmental permit is currently ongoing and members of the public have until tomorrow, February 24, to give their views.

William Davies, of Middlewich Road, who started the petition, said: “We were quite surprised that they hadn’t actually notified the people within proximity of it.

“I have read up on it, and it will produce toxic fly ash and bottom ash. We really need to know what they are going to do with this ash. This is a big concern.

“They keep changing what they are telling us. It wasn’t until we phoned up that they put signs up notifying us.

“We are just gutted that we have been told it’s already approved, and that they will have a look at the signatures but it won’t sway them. If they comply with permitted regulations they will just continue no matter who has signed it.

“They are saying that there are no houses in proximity of it, and that the nearest is 235m, but we are a lot closer than that.

“Something is not right about the whole thing. Councillors couldn’t call it in and say they were never told about it. I have had councillors come back to me and say they knew nothing about it and are being kept in the dark. I’m not happy with it at all – it’s unbelievable and most of the people I have spoken to are absolutely furious.”

To sign the online petition, go to change.org and type ‘dirty fumes over Winsford’.

To view the consultation report, an appointment has to be made to view it at Wyvern House, The Drumber, in Winsford.

Appointments are available Monday to Friday between the hours of 9am to 5pm and to arrange an appointment, call 0300 123 7038.