CAMPAIGNERS fighting controversial plans for a waste incinerator in Keighley have been given new hope.

Former Keighley MP John Grogan helped organise ­– and spoke at – a meeting at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, calling for a moratorium on all new incineration capacity.

And this week he said he hoped to see a change in national policy on the issue "before too long".

Mr Grogan was joined at the event by Ian Hammond, of the campaign group Aire Valley Against Incineration.

It was set up to fight the proposed incinerator, earmarked for the former gas works site at Marley.

Mr Grogan says: "Since I lost the Keighley seat in 2019, I have been advising in a voluntary capacity the UK Without Incineration Network – to which the Keighley group is affiliated.

"We have had some major successes, with both the Welsh and Scottish Governments putting a stop to the building of new incinerators. Throughout the United Kingdom, we now have more than enough capacity to deal with the amount of residual waste that is left after the increase in recycling which is projected.

"The meeting heard that a British Government could enact a similar moratorium in England, simply by strengthening planning guidance and environmental standards enforced by the Environment Agency. No change in the law would be needed."

He added that he was "very encouraged" by the words of Labour’s Shadow Environment Minister, Daniel Zeichner, who said it should be acknowledged the time for incineration was over.

Endless Energy – the company behind the scheme– was invited to comment, but didn’t respond.