A PETITION has finally been handed in to the last remaining company still bidding to build an incinerator at New Barnfield in Hatfield.

Welwyn Hatfield MP Grant Shapps met representatives from Veolia Environmental Services last week, to hand them a petition signed by more than 2,500 people, and to explain the damage building a �200m waste burner at the Travellers Lane site would do.

It was the first meeting between Mr Shapps and Veolia staff, and follows Mr Shapps’ public criticism of the company for “snubbing” him and Hatfield residents for more than a year.

Mr Shapps said: “I was pleased to finally be able to present the Save New Barnfield petition to the last remaining bidder for a waste incinerator at New Barnfield.

“I explained to them that if the incinerator was built it would mean a lorry passing the homes of some of my constituents once every few minutes and how I believed this is totally unacceptable.

“What surprised me was that they have yet to put any thought to how they would deal with this problem by way of noise and nuisance mitigation.

“I remain convinced that New Barnfield would be a terrible place to put an incinerator.”

Mr Shapps then met with county councillor Derrick Ashley, executive member for environment, planning and waste, to also deliver a copy of the petition.

“I handed him a copy of the Save New Barnfield petition and explained why the location would be a poor choice,” Mr Shapps said.

“I said that I believed local people would be more than willing to accept housing at New Barnfield and that from a county point of view the sale receipt from the land could provide them with much needed funds.”

Only two companies are left in the bidding race for the county’s 25-year-long waste management contract, the other being E.ON Energy From Waste, which is proposing to build the incinerator at Harper Lane in Colney Heath.

The winning bidder will be chosen in June next year.