I HAVE seen a letter from Peter Jones, the leader of East Sussex County Council, regarding the incinerator at Newhaven (The Argus, April 7).

I cannot believe he can say that the building of this incinerator is one of his proudest achievements.

Well done Councillor Jones, but I don’t think many people in Newhaven will agree.

Have you been to see this monstrous building? Or are you just presuming it is as small and insignificant as the people of Newhaven were led to believe from pictures?

Thousands of people campaigned against the incinerator, not only those living in Newhaven, but people from other towns. But what they protested about was completely ignored and the building of the incinerator went ahead.

Coun Jones does not live anywhere near Newhaven so will not feel any ill effects from it. Believe me, those who were against this were not hysterical people but were trying to protect the town and their own wellbeing.

It is not only the incinerator itself but the large vehicles which will be thundering past the homes of people near it.

I understand there may be as many as 90 vehicles a day. Perhaps we should send some of these vehicles to thunder past his property and see how he likes that.

I am glad Coun Jones will not be standing again as leader of East Sussex County Council. At least then, if there is anything else which needs to be built in Newhaven that people might object to, perhaps we will have somebody who will take note of what we say.

Mary Colwell, Meeching Rise, Newhaven

CRASS, insensitive, insulting. Those are just some of the words that crop up around Newhaven when residents read about Councillor Peter Jones being proud of the incinerator.

He was so proud of the idea he had it sited as far away from his ward as it was possible to be. I’ve seen little evidence to suggest a proper area search was carried out to find an appropriate site.

Contracts were signed before a waste plan had been adopted, and independent consultants didn’t find three food processing sites situated within half a mile of the site.

A report described the skyline of Newhaven as being filled with cranes – something anyone could see isn’t true from county hall.

All the public outcry and record-breaking numbers of objections to the waste plan and planning application for the incinerator seems to have been ignored.

While this might have been expected from a Tory administration, it beggars belief that a Labour councillor would describe it as a “tourist attraction”. Let’s hope they are equally proud of it and are at the opening.

Newhaven residents will no doubt want to show their appreciation and I hear tomatoes are already in short supply.

Cllr Rod Main, town and district councillor, Denton and Meeching Ward, Newhaven