The French consortium bidding to buy Newhaven Port has quashed rumours it wants to ship rubbish into the town.

It has also told the region's Euro MP, Mark Watts, it would not allow an incinerator on land it was purchasing from Sea Containers.

Mr Watts and other Labour representatives from Sussex met the president of the Conseil General of Seine-Maritime, the French council leading the bid to buy Newhaven Port and set up a year-round ferry to Dieppe.

Mr Watts said: "We were there to get some assurances about the long-term future of the deal.

"There have been rumours the French wanted to bring waste over on the ferry and burn it at Newhaven. But the French totally denied that. They said if anything, there was a shortage of rubbish in the region for the incinerator they have.

"They do not want an incinerator on the land they are purchasing."

The North Quay at Newhaven has been proposed as a site for an incinerator in East Sussex County Council and Brighton and Hove City Council's waste plans, which go to a public inquiry later this year.

However, Mr Watts said it was not clear if the proposed incinerator site would be part of the land the French hoped to buy.

Meanwhile negotiations between the Conseil General and Sea Containers appear to be deadlocked. Trans-Manche Ferries, which will run an all-year freight and passenger link between Newhaven and Dieppe, has already leased a ferry and had hoped to have the service running by March.

Sea Containers, which runs a seasonal fast ferry service through Hoverspeed, has so far been unable to reach agreement with the French over access into the port and competition regulations.