Ministers are staying tight-lipped over plans to expand a controversial incinerator in Northwich, after the town's MP called for them to urgently intervene.

Mike Amesbury wrote a letter to then business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg last month, calling on him to step in over plans to expand the £480m Lostock Sustainable Energy Plant (LSEP).

Planning permission was granted by the government in 2012 for the plant, but with construction still underway, the firm has submitted expansion plans to increase waste input to the site from 600,000 to 728,000 tonnes per year.

The move has sparked huge controversy locally, with opposition coming from Cheshire West and Chester Council, Mr Amesbury, local councillors and campaigners.

Particular concerns have been raised over the impact of increased lorry movements on local roads. The  application seeks approval to increase HGV round trips from 262 a day, to up to 434. The company also wants to extend opening hours from the current consented 7am - 7pm, to 7am - 11pm.

Since Mr Amesbury's letter was sent, Jacob Rees-Mogg has been replaced by Grant Shapps following the resignation of Liz Truss as Prime Minister.

His department has now written back, with Climate Minister Graham Stuart, saying: "As I hope you will appreciate, I am unable to confirm specific timings related to the determination of this application.

"The application is still under consideration by the department and a final decision has not been made yet. Given the department's role in determining this live planning application, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on the merits of the proposal."

But a spokesman from LSEP Ltd said the scheme will improve energy security and produce enough sustainable energy to power 148,000  homes.

He said: "We have fully assessed all potential environmental impacts  including transport, air quality and human health as part of our variation application.

"This showed that the variation to the LSEP scheme would not result in any unsustainable impacts, and would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by over 270,000 tonnes when compared with the alternatives of sending the same quantity of waste to landfill."

He said the plans would mean LSEP could divert an additional 128,000 tonnes of waste a year from landfill, which he said would result in 'significant environmental benefits' and would displace energy that would otherwise come from a fossil fuel power station.

The company has also pledged to look at bringing waste in by train, but warned that would depend on councils which transport their waste being willing to utilise rail.