CITY DECISION BLOW TO BURNER CAMPAIGN

A spokesman for DOVE (Defenders of the Ouse Valley and Estuary) said he was 'not surprised, but highly discouraged'.

The plans, which also involve East Sussex County Council, now go before a full city council meeting on November 24 which has been asked to approve the scheme.

More than 100 people from three campaign groups chanted slogans and waved placards outside Hove Town Hall on Wednesday as councillors voted in favour of the scheme.

The plan sets out the tactics for dealing with waste in the county and includes controversial plans for a waste burner at Newhaven.

Sharifin Gardiner of DOVE said: 'The inspector gave his report and they cherry-picked the recommendations. They are determined to have an incinerator.'

DOVE member Andrew Bishop added: 'The decision is not surprising, but it is highly discouraging.

'The crux of the matter is that if councils went all-out to remove organic waste from the cycle, there would be no need for the incinerator.'

The plan will be considered by the East Sussex County Council's cabinet on Tuesday (November 15).

It sets out a strategy for managing the 1.5 million tonnes of rubbish from households and businesses in the county.

It also supports the drive to move away from using landfill sites, which are almost full.