CAMPAIGNERS trying to stop the building of an incinerator in the Wey Valley off the A31 near Alton have received a boost from MPs.
Members of the all-party parliamentary group on air pollution have called for a moratorium on new waste incineration plants just days before London councils vote on whether to award a contract for one in Edmonton.
The group’s report said building new incinerators should be halted to protect human health and cut carbon emissions.
A spokesman for Alton’s No Wey Incinerator group said: “This is a welcome move that may mean a sensible reassessment of the situation in Hampshire. The county’s three existing incinerators have more than enough capacity so a fourth incinerator is definitely not needed.
“Residents want efficient recycling, not polluting emissions from incinerators.”
There are at least 90 incinerators in the UK and 50 more proposed, according to government data and data from anti-incineration group United Kingdom Without Incineration Network.
Parliamentary group chairman Labour MP Geraint Davies said: “Air pollution already kills 64,000 people a year in the UK, so government planning that will double incineration capacity by allowing the construction of 50 new waste incinerators by 2030 should be immediately halted as it will give rise to a significant growth in ultra-fine particulates, which are the most dangerous to human health.
“It is the number of particulates, as opposed to their combined mass, that is the key determinant for human ill health.
“The smallest particulates act like a gas and penetrate seamlessly into the blood stream and organs, creating damage to the hearts, brains and lungs of victims.”