COUNTY councillors received an ear-bashing when they visited Clitheroe on a fact-finding mission about Cemfuel.

Community leaders and clean-air campaigners are up in arms about Castle Cement's use of the controversial fuel.

And they have accused Lancashire County Council of failing in its duty of care for Ribble Valley residents.

They say the county council's decision not to press Castle Cement to apply for planning permission to burn the fuel is legally flawed and have hired solicitors to challenge it in the High Court.

Under planning law, the environmental effects of burning waste must be assessed before it is given the go-ahead.

The meeting, chaired by County Coun Terry Burns, was addressed by concerned residents, as well as representatives of Castle Cement, the Environment Agency and several parish councils.

Castle Cement's general manager, Ian Sutheran, told the meeting that his firm was in the business of making cement, not burning waste.

"Only one per cent of our operation at Ribblesdale has been turned over to the burning of Cemfuel. This is hardly a substantial change," he said. But Derek Waller, of Gisburn Parish Council, pointed out that certain elements of the fuel were not energy producing.

"Cemfuel is a pretty evil mixture of thirty or so wastes from the solvent industry. Burning it as fuel is cheaper than incineration.

"Keeping Cemfuel out of the planning process has denied the public the right to an environmental assessment."

Maurice Hargreaves, of Residents Against Toxic Substances, said Castle Cement had been given the go-ahead to burn Cemfuel on the basis of "two simple graphs showing reduced emissions".

Yet residents now routinely complained of sore eyes and throats and of hacking coughs.

The county council's development control sub-committee meeting will make a decision on the matter on June 4.

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