BOTTLED gas battles are set to continue in Burnley with a new application by Alta Gas to store more butane and propane at its Heasandford site.

Briercliffe residents, who successfully beat off two recent attempts by the Merseyside company to expand after persuading Burnley council not to sell the firm additional land on the industrial estate, now face a new fight.

The company has applied for planning permission to expand storage of liquid petroleum gas from a total of 90 tonnes to 140 tonnes.

Residents argue that an lpg depot poses a potential danger not only to the Lydgate estate, but also large areas of Burnley, in the event of an accident.

The company, which claims to have 10,000 customers locally, says there is no danger and has described the residents' campaign as hysterical.

Last year the firm reached initial agreement with the council to buy a site at Heasandford and submitted an application for gas storage.

Residents packed the town hall public gallery and handed in a 600-name petition objecting to the planning application.

Council officers urged councillors to approve the plan after stating a Health and Safety Executive investigation had given the proposal a clean bill of health.

After hearing residents' concerns councillors ordered more investigations because of the "wildly conflicting views" put forward on the issue.

The application was overtaken by events when the council decided not to sell land to Alta. But the company has been allowed to operate from Heasandford.