A PLEA for a Public Inquiry into the new Marchwood Incinerator has been rejected by the Secretary of State for the Environment, John Prescott.

County Councillor Mel Kendal received a letter on Monday from the Secretary of State, saying he had decided, 'after very careful consideration'', that his intervention would not be justified.

"As a result of the decision to go ahead with in the incinerator I believe I have no option but to work closely with Hampshire Waste Service to ensure that inconvenience to residents is minimised," said Coun Kendal.

He said he hoped ways could be found to mitigate traffic problems, and believed that the fact that Hampshire Waste Services had listened to his views on the design of the incinerator meant they would adopt the same approach on other matters.

He is also pressing for HWS to build a slipway so waste could be brought from Southampton by barge rather than by road.

"HWS are delaying the building of a slipway in the hope that an anaerobic digester will utlimately be built in Southampton, which would reduce the amount of waste, but this does not appear to be imminent," he said.