FREEHOLD residents have failed in their bid to take Lancaster City Council to court over its decision to allow tallow burning at Nightingale Hall Farm. Discussions with a leading environmental law firm have revealed that any legal challenge is likely to unsuccessful. And leading city councillors have accused the Freehold Resident's spokesman, Professor Whitelegg, of "scaremongering."

Prof Whitelegg explained that the legal bid was withdrawn over what he described as a "technicality."

He said: "The question was "Did the council take everything into account?" The fact that they discussed the issues at a shambolic meeting means they did. It's a technicality but although this particular battle is lost, we can still win the war."

Members of Freehold Residents Association claim that tallow burning at the rendering plant poses a threat to public health and that scientific research into possible BSE infection was sketchy and unreliable.

However, ward councillor, Ian Barker, accused Prof Whitelegg of "scaremongering" and said: "He claimed in a letter to me that the European Union had new scientific evidence of the dangers of tallow burning. The council have investigated these claims and found them totally unsubstantiated.

Prof Whitelegg has no new scientific information to prove his case. Yet again he failed to produce evidence to back his case."

He added: "Advice from the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens totally refutes Prof Whitelegg's claim about tallow. There is good advice that tallow from the rendering process is not contaminated with BSE and therefore no special precautions are required when handling it."

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