THE company behind the incinerator proposals has denied it presents a risk to health.

Waste Recycling Group (WRG) held a public exhibition at the Memorial Hall on Monday and are holding another tomorrow, Thursday to put forward their side of the story.

Robert Asquith, WRG group estates and planning manager, said that contrary to popular belief, the incinerator will be a safe neighbour and will not churn out potentially lethal levels of dioxins.

"People talk about dioxins but the millennium fireworks display in London gave off more dioxins in 15 minutes than an energy-from-waste plant would in more than 100 years," he said.

"Many of the studies and stories about health issues relate to old plants and even then, a direct link has not been proven.

He added: "It's a different world now. This plant has been designed to minimise the production and maximise the removal of dioxins.

"It's a clean, safe method of waste treatment."

Lostock was earmarked as a suitable site after Cheshire County Council drew up a Waste Local Plan in response to the EU Landfill Directive, which aims to drastically cut landfill.

Mr Asquith said the plant could have massive benefits for the area, including the creation of 30 jobs and enough electricity to power 20,000 homes.

"The plant would also be sustainable, with a low demand on electricity.

"The chimney would not be as high as the one that used to be there and we would landscape the site," he said.

"We think it replaces what is not a particularly attractive brick thing."

In terms of increased traffic, Mr Asquith said the trucks would be on the road anyway carrying waste to landfill and no extra traffic will be coming into the county as the plant will be for local waste only.

"We are only dealing with waste that already exists, we are not putting any more on the road and the waste will only come from within the county council boundaries.

"People do recycle an impressive amount in Vale Royal but even if they manage to get up to recycling 55 per cent of their waste, there will still be a need to dispose of the remainder somehow. Landfill really has to be the last resort," he said.

To view the proposals for yourself, visit Lostock Club in Works Lane, Lostock, tomorrow, Thursday, between 3.30pm and 8.30pm.

THE GUARDIAN has included numerous reports about the incinerator in our newspaper and on this website. The article above was the first occasion in which the views of the company behind the scheme were set out fully.

The Guardian neither supports nor opposes the incinerator. As a local newspaper, we regard it as our job to give our readers both sides of the story.

It is then up to those readers to decide whether the incinerator is good or bad news for the area.

As a further service to our readers, we are including a direct to all this website's archive stories about the incinerator, as well as the many letters published on the subject.

Just click on the link below to read them.