DEPUTY Prime Minister John Prescott has rejected calls to hold a public inquiry into plans for a new domestic waste incinerator on the Waterside.

Mr Prescott, Secretary of State for the environment, Transport and the Regions, was asked to "call in" the controversial scheme for a £40 million burner at Marchwood.

The plea was made by Tory county councillor Mel Kendal, who represents the Marchwood area.

He said: "I felt it my duty to appeal to the secretary of state for a public inquiry into plans for a Marchwood incinerator.

"The origins go back to the previous administration, Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition, when it was indicated that Marchwood was the preferred site.

"Members of the planning and transport committee were not asked to consider the alternative sites.

"I had hoped that a public inquiry would enable the matter to be more thoroughly tested.

"However, I'm told by the government that the secretary of state has decided after very careful consideration that his intervention would not be justified."

The dome-shaped incinerator was approved by the county council last month.

Mr Kendal said he would work closely with the applicant, Hampshire Waste Services, to ensure that inconvenience to residents was kept to a minimum. The incinerator will burn 165,000 tonnes of waste a year, including a large amount of refuse from Southampton.

Waterside councillors say waste collected in the city should be shipped across the River Test by barge to ease the burden on local roads.

Mr Kendal said 40 per cent of waste would come from South-ampton. He added: "Barging refuse across the river should not be delayed in the hope that an anaerobic digester will be built in the city."

The decision to approve the burner has angered environmentalists, who are applying to the High Court for a judicial review of the issue.