The firm behind plans to build a large waste incinerator have hit back at claims the waste burners are "potentially lethal".

Dr Dick Van Steenis, a former GP and House of Lords adviser, presented data at a public meeting in Ardley on Wednesday which he claimed demonstrated a link between incinerators and poor health, including heart attacks, cancers and infant mortality.

However, Viridor rubbished claims burning 300,000 tonnes of the county's waste would have any harmful effects.

Spokesman Dan Cooke said: "The claim Energy from Waste (EfW) plants are potentially lethal and illegal is a discredited opinion held by a tiny but vocal minority, which has for years struggled to find any backing from the wider scientific community.

"Energy from waste plants are today operating safely and efficiently across the UK, Europe and the rest of the world.

"Over the last 10 years, detailed and reliable research studies, including those commissioned by the Government and Health Protection Agencies, have rejected the thesis that there are any significant health risks associated with EfW."

Oxfordshire County Council is considering building the incinerator in either Ardley or Sutton Courtenay.

A public meeting to discuss proposals for the incinerator in Sutton Courtenay will be held on Monday in All Saints Church at 7.30pm, and will be followed by an extraordinary meeting of the parish council at 9pm.