Incinerator can create extra power - government

Work started to build the facility near Witham in July 2021

Plans to increase the power output of a new incinerator have been cleared by the government.

Waste company Indaver has been building the facility at a former airbase in Rivenhall, near Witham, Essex, since July 2021.

It has been granted consent to generate up to 65MW of power by Ed Miliband, the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.

James Abbott, a local Green councillor, said residents remained "deeply concerned" about the implications of the incinerator.

A statement from the Planning Inspectorate said "full consideration to all local views" was given during a consultation period.

Indaver hopes the facility will take 595,000 tonnes of unrecyclable waste annually from next year.

The waste would be burned in order to generate electricity.

Indaver was awarded a seven-year contract in August, with the possibility of a further seven years

Abbott, who represents Silver End and Cressing on Braintree District Council, vowed campaigners would keep battling.

"This is a plant in open countryside, it's not near a major town," he told the BBC.

"Those who live in the area around it can see the chimney and the huge cranes. It's coming and it's a worry.

"If you live in the local villages, you will be breathing in the emissions depending on the wind direction."

Essex County Council has said it wants to stop sending waste to landfill by 1 October 2025.

The local authority awarded Indaver a seven-year contract in August, with the possibility of a further seven years - an agreement which would be worth £1bn over the course of 14 years.

The council previously said the incinerator needed to be fully operational by the end of 2026.