THE burning of Cemfuel at the Castle Cement works in Clitheroe could cause asthma in children, the House of Commons has been told.

Pendle MP Gordon Prentice said there was evidence that burning a similar fuel in cement kilns at Weardle in County Durham had increased the incidence of the disease in young people living nearby.

Mr Prentice described Cemfuel as a "real witch's brew".

He said people in his constituency were very alarmed at smoke from the Cemfuel kiln spreading into Pendle.

And people in Clitheroe were deeply alarmed at the prospect of smoke from the kiln grounding in the area.

Mr Prentice said the government must tighten up on regulations on the burning of Cemfuel and hold a full investigation into its effects as recommended by the Commons environment committee.

He was backed by Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans who also complained about Mr Prentice calling a debate about a constituency matter of his.

He said that Mr Prentice debating the issue without proper consultation with him was "gross misconduct and a gross infringement of etiquette".

But he did support Mr Prentice in calling for a fuller health analysis.

He also warned Castle Cement he would oppose any move to turn their works into a waste incineration plant by the back door.

Mr Evans said Castle Cement must take action to sort out the problems if it was to continue burning the fuel.

And he revealed he was to meet Environment Minister James Clappison to discuss the issue after Castle Cement had met the government's pollution inspectors to see what could be done to reassure people "that nothing going into the cement kiln and coming out of the chimneys will harm them."

Mr Clappison said there was little evidence that Cemfuel was causing health problems and no sign of increased levels of asthma in the area.

He said the problem of plume grounding was not caused by Cemfuel but by local weather conditions.

But he promised that the pollution inspectors would try to tackle the issue and were imposing strict conditions on Castle Cement.

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