A town could face life with two giant rubbish-burning incinerators on its doorstep, it was revealed today.

A Surrey-based company wants to build a plant on a site just half a mile away from the Sussex border.

The proposed plant at Capel is also just 2.5 miles away from a site at Warnham, near Horsham, which has been named as a possible place to burn rubbish from West Sussex.

Morwen Millson, a member of West Sussex County Council, said it was "completely insane" that the Capel incinerator would only accept rubbish from Surrey and could not be used by its nearest neighbour.

She said: "There is evidence to suggest that emissions can be controlled and these plants operate efficiently on the continent of Europe and have passed all the tests.

"But local residents would be concerned enough by one plant and I am sure nobody is going to want to put two so close together.

"With prevailing wind conditions, Horsham could get emissions from both plants and that is something that would certainly be of concern."

The Surrey plan involves a site known as Clockhouse Brickworks close to the A24 which would be designed to handle 110,000 tonnes of municipal and trade waste a year.

The application has been made by a company which holds a contract to dispose of the county's waste for the next 25 years.

A report to West Sussex County Council admits that officials have been looking at the Ambion Brickworks site, just 2.5 miles south of Capel, for a similar plant which would produce energy from burning waste.

Coun Millson said the two schemes would have to be looked at very carefully together.