Farm to create electricity from cow poo

The micro-scale anaerobic digester will be built on Dobcross Hall in Gaitsgill

A farm has been given permission to build a small plant to produce renewable electricity from animal waste.

Dobcross Hall in Gaitsgill, near Dalston in Cumbria, has received planning permission from Cumberland Council to install the micro-scale anaerobic digester on its site.

The digester will use slurry from the farm's dairy herd to create electricity as well as fertiliser.

The council supported the development and said it would "not have a detrimental impact upon the living conditions of nearby residents, highways, or biodiversity".

A report by a council planning officer said the "scale, design, and siting" of the machinery was acceptable and it would not have an adverse impact on the character of the surrounding rural landscape.

The proposed plant will be next to existing agricultural buildings, which will minimise its visual impact, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The only residential building near the proposed site is Dobcross Cottage, where farm workers live, is on higher ground than the proposed plant.