FEARS are growing that a controversial Pontypool incineration plant could once more be used to burn hazardous materials.

Environmental campaigners fear the furnaces at the Shanks plant (formerly Rechem) could be fired up once more, after the company was granted an extension on licences allowing it to burn hazardous waste at the plant.

The company says it does not want to restart the plant, which closed in March 2002.

But the Environment Agency Wales has decided to renew Shanks' licences following an investigation.

It gave two main reasons for its decision: the need to continue monitoring of the site and a possible future need to re-start burning hazardous waste.

An EA statement reads: "There is potentially a future requirement for hazardous waste treatment capacity to be made available over a relatively short timescale."

Torfaen AM Lynne Neagle said she supported the continued monitoring at the plant, but would fight any decision to allow the burning of hazardous waste in future."

The existing authorisation could potentially allow a restart of the furnace within six months.

However, a spokesman for Shanks said they had no plans to restart the incinerator.

He said: "We welcome this decision as it means monitoring will continue to ensure the site complies with regulations. We shut the plant due to market conditions and they have not changed. There is no plan to re-open the site to burn hazardous waste."

David Powell, of the Keep Your Own Waste campaign group, said: "It is necessary and good they are reiterating the need for monitoring but it's a mistake to combine that with the possible idea that the plant might have to restart.

"They should be kept entirely separate."