Waste contract officially signed

Sita has promised to reduce by 90% the amount of waste going to tips

A £500m contract to manage waste disposal in Cornwall has been officially signed, despite the anger of five local MPs.

The Integrated Waste Management contract, awarded to Sita UK, will see an incinerator built near St Denis.

Sita said it is going to spend £150m over the next 30 years upgrading facilities and developing new ones.

Five Liberal Democrat MPs asked in July for a public inquiry to ensure the contract was not a "rushed" decision.

The local MPs, Colin Breed, Andrew George, Julia Goldsworthy, Dan Rogerson and Matthew Taylor said the council should not have allowed the incinerator inclusion to appease government policy.

The contract will officially come into effect from November. It was supposed to be signed last month, but there were delays in getting the paperwork ready.