A COMMUNITY group has hired a barrister to fight plans to open an incinerator in a mid-Essex village The lawyer will represent Stop the Incinerator, the group fighting Essex County Council plans for a plant at Rivenhall at the public inquiry due to open on September 29, at the Institute, in Bocking End, Braintree.

The campaign group needs to raise up to £11,000 to cover the cost of administration and legal fees.

Leading campaigner James Abbott, a member of the group said it would challenge a recent Health Protection Agency statement claiming well run and regulated incinerators did not pose a significant threat to public health.

He said: “It’s not a risk worth taking. As years go by, the emission limits keep getting reduced.”