Campaigners have failed in their battle to scrap plans for strategic waste sites across Essex.

Around 9,000 objections had been made against the scheme outlining eight possible locations for the facilities which could see incinerators burning tonnes of house-hold and commercial rubbish.

But a coalition of district councils has secured a package of concessions including:

Incinerators only to be used as a last resort.

The waste sites support the recycling schemes and provide a safety net if they fail.

The facilities to have a capacity of 100,000 tonnes of rubbish a year rather than 200,000 tonnes.

The sites will not process waste from other areas such as London which currently makes up more than half the total volume landfilled in the county.

Green district councillor for Witham and Silver End James Abbott has been campaigning against an incineration site on Rivenhall Airfield.

He said: "It is clear the county council are listening to the campaigners. We are pleased they are moving in the right direction and are recognising the massive amount of public concern about the incinerators.

"The concessions put the emphasis on more recycling and composting and to use incineration as a last resort.

"This is what we have been pushing for and the proposals are going some way to what is wanted. We will continue to press for the complete removal of any type of incineration for any site in Essex."

The draft plan will now form the county's policy guidelines at a public inquiry in October.

Mr Abbott said: "The public inquiry is when we hope all plans for incineration will be scrapped.

"We will be presenting a petition to a Government minister to try to put some pressure on them to make them realise people are very much opposed to the whole principle."

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