HUNDREDS of angry residents from Dronfield, Chesterfield and Sheffield gathered on Saturday to protest against plans for a waste incinerator in north Derbyshire.
Protesters met in Cliffe Park, Dronfield, to register their opposition to plans for a plant on a former coal yard site at Sheepbridge.
Organiser Angelique Foster, who moved to Dronfield from Burgundy in France, said: "Our message to Derbyshire County Council is that we do not want this incinerator.
"We are worried for the future of our children, and the future of our local economy. This will drive businesses away."
Richard Bembridge said: "Groups in Chesterfield have been campaigning for more than a year, but many people in Dronfield still don't know about it, so we are trying to raise awareness and get the council to pay attention.
"People are worried about this for a variety of reasons. One is it will bring an HGV every 10 minutes along roads that aren't set up for them.
"I'm worried about emissions. Cyclamax claims it exceeds safety regulations. That may be true, but the company knows research into the health effects of nano-particular emissions is only just beginning. It could be two or three years before we know what effects this plant will have.
"We don't want to be part of a 10-mile-radius public health experiment.
"The company says it will produce jobs – but it will drive other companies in the area away."
Cyclamax denies that the plant, which will burn industrial waste to produce electricity, will cause any adverse health effects.
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