A CEMENT firm wants to burn a controversial hazardous waste fuel in all three of its kilns.

Castle Cement, Clitheroe, was given the go-ahead to try out Cemfuel in its kiln seven at the beginning of July.

Environment bosses also gave the firm permission to use waste from the construction industry in its manufacturing process.

The Environment Agency approved the six-month trial following a four-week consultation period with residents.

The firm also wanted to use up to 100 tonnes a week of waste from the construction industry - less than one per cent of its total input - as a replacement for limestone in the making of cement.

Bosses claimed it would reduce the need for quarried limestone and the unnecessary landfilling of recyclable materials. The waste may include broken concrete roof tiles and paving stones, as well as foundry sand.

Now the company is to appeal against a condition preventing the use of Cemfuel in its two other kilns - five and six - while the trials are taking place. Bosses claim the company's environmental performance could be jeopardised by the condition. Ian Sutheran, works manager at the Clitheroe plant, said: "The use of Cemfuel has been proven to reduce emissions, so if we can't burn it in the two other kilns during the trial our environmental performance will be adversely affected.

"We have no choice other than to appeal, as the condition effectively instructs us to operate in breach of environmental law, which requires us to minimise emissions wherever possible.

"It is not our intention to increase overall use of Cemfuel during the trial, but we need the flexibility to burn it in any of the three kilns so that we can optimise environmental performance."

More than 300 residents have contacted the Environment Agency protesting against trials on kiln seven, claiming it has failed to meet emission limits and plume-grounds regularly.

But bosses say it is the greenest kiln in Europe, after fitting it with a £5million gas-cleaning system last year.

Cemfuel has been burned in kilns five and six at the Clitheroe works for a number of years.

A spokesman for the Environment Agency said the appeal would be heard by the Secretary of State for the Environment.

But in the interim, the firm had asked the agency to reconsider its ban on the use of Cemfuel in kilns five and six during trials on kiln seven.

"The appeal will be dealt with by the Planning Inspectorate and could take a number of months. We are carefully considering Castle Cement's request and haven't arrived at a decision yet. Our decision will be based on what is best for the environment," the spokesman said.

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