THE consultation on the incinerator has ended, despite many requests to Oxfordshire County Council to extend it, due to the mass of new material to be reviewed.

The Waste Recycling Group (WRG) took four months to prepare the amended application and respond to the omissions in their original application.

By allowing only three weeks for the public to respond, the council is putting committee dates, and perhaps considerations about the coming local elections, above the interests of the public.

This follows a lack of proper public consultation, and the failure to allow the full council the opportunity to vote on the alternatives.

The council was also not prepared to join a debate on air, but rather relied on a statement - which, interestingly, used almost the same wording as WRG, that incinerators are widespread and safe.

This is despite mounting evidence of a shift against incineration in favour of alternatives, as exemplified by France's President Sarkozy stating that "proof will be required of every new incinerator project that it is the last resort".

The council Executive, however, seems to have made incineration its first resort, by not properly considering the alternatives.

Finally, WRG has applied to bring in 25 per cent of the waste (75,000 tonnes) from Berkshire.

This is on top of the extensive waste that is already brought in from London and other places to the landfill site, which looks set to be extended to 2030.

Councillors Keith Mitchell and Roger Belson apparently consider that it is too late to change now, and seem intent on making Oxfordshire the waste centre for the Thames Valley.

The public consultation may be over, but people can still object by writing to their councillors and MPs, and by signing the on-line petition at www. scai. co. uk ALISON DRAPER, High Street, Sutton Courtenay, Abingdon