Gloucestershire bin lorry incinerator trips 'ridiculous'

Work on the project began in 2016 and the incinerator is due to begin operating next year

Plans to use bin lorries to take household waste directly to a new incinerator have been criticised as inefficient and costly by two councils.

The proposals affect Cheltenham and Tewkesbury as they lack local waste transfer stations for bin lorries.

Pete Tong from Tewkesbury Borough Council said: "It's ridiculous to think of having huge waste vehicles driving up and down the M5 to the incinerator."

The county council said it is trying to find the most cost effective solution.

'Significant difficulties'

The new incinerator at Javelin Park is due to open next summer but a final decision has not yet been made on how waste will be taken to the site.

Both borough councils want a new transfer station for both districts as they say this would enable bin lorries to drop off waste and return to their rounds more quickly.

Cabinet member at Cheltenham Borough Council, Chris Coleman said: "A waste transfer station would be in a location that's far more convenient to both authorities.

"More importantly it's the option that both authorities have been planning for, for a long time.

"If we are expected to pick up the tab for a multi-million bill as a last minute decision by the county council that's clearly going to cause significant difficulties."

If the county council chooses this option is says the money will be pulled from existing budgets.

A county council spokesman said: "We are carrying out an exercise with Tewkesbury and Cheltenham Borough Councils to look at the best way to deliver waste to the facility and to work out what these costs would be.

"We will then compare the cost of each option before working out which of them provides the most cost effective solution."

A final decision will be made in autumn.