CALLS have been made for a rubbish-burning incinerator to be built in Blackburn so the borough can cash in on other people's waste.

The call was made at a meeting of Blackburn with Darwen Council and was immediately criticised by ruling Labour councillors and environmental campaigners.

Tories want Blackburn with Darwen Council to pull out of the Lancashire Waste Partnership and cash in on the need to stop placing rubbish in landfill.

The council joined Lancashire County Council (LCC) in signing up to the Lancashire Waste Partnership last month. It will trigger the creation of a massive waste treatment plant in Huncoat, which is where all non-recyclable waste, currently buried, will be broken down using chemicals.

Smaller waste collection centres will be created in the county, including one in Chapels in Darwen and one in Clitheroe.

But both the LCC and Blackburn with Darwen Council have admitted that, although £75million of Government cash is being made available for the scheme, no final cost has yet been agreed.

Tory Alan Cottam said: "We've signed up to something which will cost a fortune. It could end up being a massive financial black hole. We should build an incinerator in Blackburn instead.

"They hardly cause any pollution, and then we can charge all the other councils in East Lancashire to burn their rubbish. It makes much more sense because we would be making money."

Darwen Tory Fred Slater said: "There are plenty of places in the borough where it could be built and you wouldn't even know it was there."

Coun Cottam added that members of the council's overview and scrutiny committee had seen an incinerator in operation and had been impressed.

Blackburn with Darwen Council's executive member for regeneration, Coun Andy Kay, said: "I don't think they can be serious. No-one in the borough would want one. It is not an environmentally friendly way to go. My concern wouldn't be what we are burning, but what comes out of it."

The Lancashire Waste Partnership considered an incinerator in their plans, but rejected it following a campaign by a group called Arrow (Action to Reduce and Recycle Our Waste).

An Arrow spokesman said: "Incinerators do a lot of harm and shouldn't be considered."