Councillors in the Vale of White Horse have voted against proposals to build a waste burner on a landfill site in Sutton Courtenay.

Members of the district's planning committee raised concerns over proposals for an incinerator, which residents fear could cause harmful pollution.

Hundreds of people packed into Abingdon's Guildhall for a meeting on Monday night, as representatives from the Waste Recycling Group, the company behind the development, turned out to hear the findings of Vale planning officers' report into whether the scheme was viable.

Liberal Democrat councillor Richard Gibson, chairman of the Vale's planning committee, said: "If someone wanted to build a small cottage on this plot of land we would be against it, never mind something so large.

"We also want to do more to improve the visual aspect of that part of the district and to have a giant incinerator would go against that objective."

Mr Gibson said he hoped Oxfordshire County Council, which has the final say on whether the incinerator should be built, would consider the district's recommendation when making its decision.

He added: "I think it's a very unpopular proposal, but simply saying it's unpopular won't stop it."

The incinerator site could see up to 300,000 tonnes of rubbish a year burnt to generate electricity.

County Hall has invited bids as part of its strategy to dispose of residual waste over the next 25 years and said it would evaluate final proposals next year.

A spokesman added: "We will take on board their objections as part of the planning process in the course of making our decision."