WASTE firm Viridor has rejected claims by a leading chemist that their planned incinerator near Lee Mill will cause environmental and health problems.

They accused Dr Paul Connett, an expert in waste management, of being outdated and using discredited information.

Dr Connett, an adviser to the United Nations, told an audience in Ivybridge this week that Viridor's proposed energy from waste (EfW) plant at New England Quarry would be "an eyesore and an abomination".

Viridor is one of two companies bidding to build an incinerator to handle all domestic waste from Plymouth, Torbay and South Devon.

As well as New England Quarry, sites at Ernesettle and North Yard at Devonport are being considered.

Viridor has said it will go ahead with the New England Quarry plan regardless of which scheme the South West Devon Waste Partnership chooses.

The Ivybridge meeting on Wednesday was called after Viridor applied for planning permission and an environmental permit.

A Viridor spokeswoman said: "We reject Dr Connett's comments that our proposed resource recovery centre in New England Quarry near Lee Mill will cause environmental and health problems, which scientific research has shown not to be the case.

"The facility would operate to strict European legislation and would be closely monitored and regulated by the Environment Agency to ensure emissions are as low as they can be to protect the environment and human health.

"The Health Protection Agency issued a statement in September 2009 that was based on a review of the available scientific evidence. It concluded that modern, well managed incinerators make only a small contribution to local concentrations of air pollutants.

"It is possible that such small additions could have an impact on health but such effects, if they exist, are likely to be very small and not detectable.

"We would not proceed with any proposal which we perceive could have a harmful or detrimental effect on the area in which it operates.

"We believe Dr Connett's comments on EfW are outdated and have subsequently been discredited by a range of independent and credible institutions."

Dr Connett took part in the meeting at The Watermark in Ivybridge after accepting an invitation by the organisers from the Save Our South Hams and Ecoivy groups. He told an audience of about 60 people that, rather than build the £100million incinerator, Plymouth and Torbay councils and Devon County Council need to "go back to the drawing board" and consider other waste management options.

"We need to manage our waste and learn to live more sustainably," he said.

"An incinerator is not the way to do it. It wastes time, energy and money."