A leading politician has praised the continuing efforts of the Hafod Environmental Group in their fight against the proposed landfill site. Plaid Cymru the Party of Wales Deputy President Jill Evans MEP said that she had pledged her support to the group some time ago and wanted to reiterate that now.

Ms Evans, who is a lifelong campaigner on environmental issues, said that she had had meetings with the campaigners and visited the site with them before it became operational:

"Nobody should have to live in a community where the environment and the health of its residents are affected by waste tips. Plaid Cymru is opposed to landfill and believes in more environmentally responsible means of waste disposal. I congratulate the Hafod campaigners on their unstinting work, and I am pleased that colleagues such as Plaid Assembly Member Janet Ryder have been there in support.

"As I warned last year, there is a danger of Wales being a dumping ground for waste from beyond our own boundaries, whatever progress we might be making in Wales. Unfortunately and sadly,the public outcry against this tip continues to fall on deaf ears in some circles.

"We owe it to the residents of Johnstown and Ruabon to do everything in our power to bring them a safe environment for them and their families. Landfill should be a thing of the past but instead there are some people who regard it as a growth industry. There is big money in landfill and there are people who put that before the health and welfare of local people.

"Despite the assurances given by Mersey Waste Holdings, we have seen all too often that the reality of landfill is very different. The nuisance caused by an operation like this is immense, but it is surely time that we put a stop to using landfill as an answer to waste disposal problems."

Ms Evans added that it was very disappointing indeed that Wrexham Council's Chief Planning Officer has advised council members not to revoke planning permission for the site:

"At the very least it should be possible for Wrexham Council to bring operations to a temporary halt. I urge councillors to vote to revoke planning permission, a permission which was granted many years ago, and would surely not have been granted in the present day."

Diwedd/End.