INCINERATION of household waste will have to take place unless residents cut back on the amount of rubbish they throw out, it has been claimed.

Stourport town councillor Carol Warren said Worcestershire County Council would have little choice but to consider burning waste - still a thorny issue after a planned incinerator for Kidderminster was turned down last year - should people not cut down on what they choose to bin.

Speaking at a meeting of the town council, Mrs Warren said sending waste to landfill sites should not be an option, and new methods of incineration could hold the answer.

But she stressed the need to work with the public on the sensitive issue.

Wyre Forest residents were up in arms over plans to build an incinerator at the former British Sugar Site in Kidderminster before it was finally scrapped last year.

"When it comes to waste management you've got to take the local community with you." Mrs Warren said.

Speaking after the meeting she added: "The county council must have the consensus of the community but at the same time people need to be realistic about how to deal with the problem right now. The fact is that people are producing too much waste and not recycling enough."

The meeting was part of an effort by the county council to find a solution to getting rid of waste.

It has sent a consultation document to residents and district and town councils to collect views on how to deal with the problem of waste disposal.

Five of the seven options it has presented for dealing with household rubbish include some element of incineration.

Stourport Town Council concluded at the meeting it did not have enough information to pass on its recommendation.

Bewdley Town Council is in the process of formulating its reply to county hall.