I wish to express my concern with regard to East Sussex County Council approving the building of the incinerator in Newhaven (The Argus, April 3), for the following reasons:

We are constantly reminded by the Government of the need to reduce our "carbon footprint". How many aeroplane flights will we need to cancel, how many car journeys must we avoid, how many wind generators and energy-saving light bulbs will we need to install and what quantity of trees will we need to plant to compensate for the proposed incinerator's output of thousands of tons of carbon dioxide?

Not to mention other pollutants that will be thrown into the air, most of which will probably pollute the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and homes and land to the north and east of the proposed site.

Members of my family have lived at the Isle of Sheppey, where there is an incinerator. Their experience is that washing on the line and uPVC window frames are blackened when the wind is in the wrong direction, in spite of assurances from the incinerator operator that there is no harmful discharge.

East Sussex County Council has used public money - our money - to compulsorily purchase land to build an incinerator on, that the people of Newhaven and the surrounding areas do not want.

The traffic system in Newhaven is already inadequate, and the increase in traffic that the incinerator will generate will only compound the problem.

I am upset Ruth Kelly does not feel the matter important enough to intervene despite nearly 16,000 protests.

What happened to democracy?

I also note that Brighton and Hove has aspirations to become the leading eco-city in the UK. This should be an easy target to achieve by sending any unwanted items out of town - rubbish to Newhaven and sewage to Peacehaven.

If it's undesirable, I am sure Brighton and Hove will find a way to throw it over the fence into a neighbour's property.

  • R Wood, St Leonard's Close, Denton, Newhaven