By Ian Austen

ian.austen@essnmedia.co.uk

New claims that radioactive waste could be burnt at any incinerator built in Croydon have been dismissed as "absolute nonsense".

The nuclear waste fears are being raised by the Green Party as further evidence that such a facility would be harmful to residents.

The Greens and Labour opposition councillors, despite repeated denials from the council's ruling Tories, believe a waste incinerator in Croydon or on its border with Sutton is likely to form part of a proposed waste strategy for south London.

They say sites in Factory Lane, Croydon, and Beddington Lane, just over the borough boundary, remain the most likely sites.

The Greens base their nuclear waste claims on what they say was a poorly publicised first round of consultation which showed support for the disposal of hazardous waste as part of the strategy.

According to Shasha Khan, Croydon's Green Party spokesman, the definition of hazardous covers radioactive waste which could be incinerated such as graphite from reactor cores, oil and protective clothing.

He also claims the original consultation had only 41 replies and that replies from waste companies supporting disposal of hazardous waste had undue influence.

But Phil Thomas, Croydon Council cabinet member for the environment and highways, totally rejected the idea of radioactive waste being brought into Croydon or any of its waste partners, Sutton, Merton and Kingston.

"This claim is absolute nonsense," he said.

"I have never been to any meetings with our partners where we have had discussions about nuclear waste. Nobody has even mentioned it."

Councillor Thomas insists the aim of the new strategy is purely to find ways of disposing of waste which is not recycled more efficiently, rather than sending it to landfill sites.

He said: "We have enough trouble disposing of the waste from within our four boroughs without bringing in radioactive waste from outside.

"The fact is, we don't want other people's rubbish in our boroughs."

Cllr Thomas added that the only type of hazardous waste actually in the borough is clinical waste from hospitals or other health facilities.

"Shasha Khan has just dreamed this all up just to scaremonger and cause trouble," he added.

But Mr Khan remains concerned by hazardous waste having been mentioned in the consultation, which was publicised in council newspaper Your Croydon.

"We have yet to find a single resident who wants this new plant to manage hazardous waste," he said.

"It's inconceivable that residents would be happy for trucks containing hazardous waste to thunder through their neighbourhood on to a new waste site."

Yet, he said, the consultation showed "amazingly" that the majority of respondents supported the idea.

A decision on the strategy's final make-up has been delayed until after May's council elections - something else which has enraged the Tories' opponents.