CLEAN air campaigners are calling for concerted efforts to block Castle Cement's latest attempts to vary the waste products it uses to make fuel.

They say the planned changes could have a serious impact on fumes from the Clitheroe-based plant into the atmosphere over parts of Pendle.

The company has applied to the Environment Agency for a substantial variation in its current permission.

Two of the biggest alterations involve an increase in the maximum sulphur content of petroleum coke and changing the specification of Cemfuel, including increasing the maximum lead content.

Another change the company says is necessary is to burn additional alternative fuels to pay for the cost of installing equipment needed to reduce emissions of sulphur dioxide and ammonia.

The firm wants to be able to burn tars, recovered solvents and oils and tyres as well as carpet off cuts, packaging and low chlorine processed fuel.

The anti-pollution group Airwatch now want local councils, MPs and Euro MP Mark Hendrick to produce a co-ordinated response to the firm's application to vary its current authorisation.

They are pinning their hopes on a Parliamentary select committee's report on the firm's Ribblesdale works and the controversial use of Cemfuel.

A spokesman for the group said: "For the past three years Castle Cement has come up with one argument after another to continue burning toxic material, even when many of these substances can be reclaimed for re-use.

"The Government must close the legal loophole allowing them to class toxic waste incineration as 'energy recovery'."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.