PUBLIC opposition to the proposed £40 million Kidderminster waste incinerator could go unheard at the forthcoming planning inquiry unless £8,000 is raised by the end of January, campaigners have warned.

Stop Kidderminster Incinerator (SKI) objectors say they desperately need people to donate to their fighting fund to enable them to hire expert witnesses to appear at the hearing on February 19.

SKI spokeswoman Clare Cassidy said campaigners had learnt the inquiry into the siting of the incinerator at the British Sugar site off Stourport Road was now expected to take five or six weeks - rather than the hoped for three weeks - a move which she said would push up the cost of campaigners' battle bill.

She told the Shuttle/Times and News: "It's a race against time.

"Our real concern is that the kind of issues people in Kidderminster are concerned about are not the issues the county council is bothered about.

"The worry is ordinary people's fears could get drowned out by discussions about planning law.

"We want to talk about the traffic, the need for the incinerator and the alternatives."

"It's vital that we raise this money so that the concerns of people in Kidderminster can be heard."

She added: "We want to voice concerns about the impact on health, falling property values and its impact on visual amenity.

"It would be so ugly, a real blot on the landscape. There's a real opportunity to redevelop this unattractive site."

The county council's planning committee voted 11-2 to throw out the application at a packed meeting in April but Severn Waste Services have launched an appeal..

The Environment Agency has granted a permit for the burner which will allow the incineration of about 150,000 tonnes of waste a year but planning permission is still required.

The district council has submitted objections based on the visual impact of the plant on the canal conservation and surrounding area and the loss of sports provision without replacement.

But Miss Cassidy said members of the public were also concerned about the emission of carcinogenic dioxins and other pollutants and the further traffic chaos which would be caused on the already log-jammed Stourport Road by the addition of up to 50 lorries a day and the installation of more traffic lights.

She said among the experts SKI wanted to hire were Alan Watson, a national environmental consultant, who had already worked for the group.

But she said while he wanted to work again for SKI, he was in heavy demand and unless funds could be raised soon she feared he might not be available.

She added: "If people give five or ten pounds here and there it all mounts up.

"It's unfortunate that this appeal comes at Christmas time, but this is the final hurdle.

"If Severn Waste Services get permission for the incinerator it will be here for a minimum of 25 years and there will be nothing anyone can do about it."

l Donations to the appeal can be sent to SKI at 2 Rhuddlan Way, Kidderminster DY10 1YH. Offers of help with fundraising can also be made by telephoning Bob Harris on 01562 752436.