CAMPAIGNERS have demanded Government bosses host more public events over their plans to give the go-ahead to the Rivenhall incinerator.

Nick Unsworth, who is a a leading figure for the No Essex Incinerator group, has criticised the Environment Agency for arranging just a single drop-in event during its four-week consultation on whether it should issue an environmental permit for a waste plant and 35m chimney stack.

Mr Unsworth says feedback from the public on Friday’s event at Rivenhall Village Hall had been poor and is demanding environment bosses find better ways to engage with residents. He said: “People were absolutely appalled at the new proposals and designs they saw. Very few questions were actually answered and I’ve heard they even ran out of forms for people to fill out.

“We cannot understand why there is only one drop-in session throughout the consultation.

“Every community will be impacted by this incinerator so everyone within a ten-mile radius should have access to these latest plans.

“Yes, people in Rivenhall will be affected but so will residents in Silver End, Coggeshall, Kelvedon and Witham.

“I think the Environment Agency has got a duty to hold more public events and needs to answer all of the questions people have about this.”

Mr Unsworth says the No Essex Incinerator campaign has its own specialists looking at the latest plans for the incinerator.

A spokesman for the Environment Agency said: “We are really keen to give local people the opportunity to let us have their comments about our draft decision to approve an application to revise the environmental permit previously granted for the Rivenhall Integrated Waste Management Facility.

“We have put a range of measures in place to make it as easy as possible for people to find out more and let us have their views.

“Along with the public meeting, we have produced a written consultation document available via our website and are happy to meet with members of the community by appointment at our office in Feering if this is better for them.”