LABOUR parliamentary hopeful Mike Hobday has challenged MP Grant Shapps to oppose plans to build an incinerator ANYWHERE in Welwyn Hatfield.

Mr Shapps has been vocal in his opposition to the county council’s proposals to build a waste burner at New Barnfield.

But Mr Hobday, the Labour prospective MP for Welwyn Hatfield, claims his Tory rival would be happy to see an incinerator constructed at Roehyde, opposite the University of Hertfordshire’s College Lane complex.

As evidence, he points to a message the MP posted on his online forum back in August in response to the question “exactly where within your own constituency do you think these suitable alternatives for a waste incinerator are?”

Mr Shapps replied: “The best location would be somewhere where there are no residents nearby and where there are excellent road or rail transport links.

“I would have thought that junction three of the A1(M) which is directly on the motorway and without nearby residents would be appropriate.

“There is unused land to the west of the junction.”

Mr Hobday said: “Previously, Grant has said Roehyde would be an appropriate site for an incinerator.

“Since then, the campaign against incineration has built up and I’m hoping Grant has changed his mind.”

He added: “We’ll get the same pollution and the same global warming whether the county council builds an incinerator at New Barnfield or at Roehyde.

“Neither site is acceptable.”

In response, Mr Shapps refused to be drawn on whether he would oppose an incinerator elsewhere in his constituency.

Instead, he dismissed Mr Hobday’s salvo and accused him of negative politicking.

He said: “Constituents prefer to hear positive messages rather than fruitless negative campaigns.”