WITH regard to the proposed incinerator at Astwood Bank, I felt I must write because of my knowledge of the knackers yard, my growing concern as a parent of a four-year-old child at Astwood Bank First School and as a resident.

I hope some additional information may curtail this badly planned development which is proposed to be "ancillary" to an existing knackers yard.

I believe residents and Redditch Council are being hoodwinked.

In the 1970s, I had some five years' first-hand experience of the running and working of the knackers yard.

The developers state they will be incinerating one tonne of carcasses an hour, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and this will bring around 11 jobs to the yard.

I find it hard to believe the predicted amount of manpower required is more than that of the 1970s and at the same time, the carcass disposal process being less labour intensive.

In all my time at the yard there were no more than three full-time employees.

In the 1970s, this was a thriving business running seven days a week, with many carcasses needing skinning, gutting and boning out for pet food

I would estimate the yard would have taken in around three to four horses, 30 cattle and a small volume of sheep, pigs and other animals each week.

This would equate to about 25 tonnes a week, around the level the incinerator would burn in 24 hours.

But they intend to burn seven days a week, around 168 tonnes, and if this is "ancillary" to the existing knackers yard, the figures don't add up.

I believe this incinerator will be taking on a much larger volume of carcasses, well in excess of that ever previously dealt with.

But we should ask, where will they all be coming from? The more I read, the more uncomfortable I become.

I also have concerns with regard to the suitability of the land and its disturbance for new buildings. Is it free from contamination?

Many diseased carcasses with a wide spectrum of infection, including anthrax, were taken down to the yard during my time there. Spillage onto the land was unavoidable.

There was certainly one case of anthrax in 1970 which led to one of my colleagues becoming infected and spending some considerable time in a hospital isolation unit.

While I am not wishing to sensationalise this, as cattle do get infected with anthrax from time to time, we must not overlook the fact anthrax spores can live in the ground for more than 100 years.

In order to support the additional development, the public should be assured it is safe to disturb the ground.

My other area of concern is that of increasing traffic.

During the 1970s there were two small lorries and a small van available for the transportation needs of the yard.

I cannot believe the incinerator will not mean an increase in heavy traffic.

Church Road and the surrounding roads are already at bursting point and are unsafe.

Carcass disposal has to be dealt with as part of daily life.

I am not putting forward a NIMBY argument against this but it is clear, without even considering the incineration and air quality issues, that this venture, in its current location and next to a primary school, is just planning madness.

DAVID HILL

Western Hill Close

Astwood Bank