A MASSIVE waste recycling plant has been given the go-ahead - despite fears that groundwater supplies used by Tadcaster breweries could be contaminated.

The Waste Management Facility is to be built by Darrington Quarries Ltd inside Jackdaw Crag Quarry at Stutton, near Tadcaster.

The town's three breweries, Samuel Smith's, John Smith's and Coors, all use water from aquifers which run under the quarry. The water is said to have particular minerals and a constant high quality.

North Yorkshire County Council's Planning and Regulatory Functions Committee heard yesterday that the plant is expected to process 60,000 to 70,000 tonnes of waste like glass, newspaper, cardboard, textiles, garden waste, soil and rubble each year.

Original proposals including composting tunnels had met with Environment Agency objections. The plans had been revised and the agency no longer objected.

Councillors heard the three breweries all objected to the original scheme, with Scottish Courage, owners of John Smith's, warning that pollution would have a "catastrophic" effect on the brewery, which employs 300 people.

Coors, formerly Bass Breweries, objected in the "strongest possible terms". It considered there was a high risk of leaks, putting the water source at high risk of contamination.

Samuel Smith's said the proposals represented an "incalculable risk" to the local and regional economy through potential pollution.

Officers said Samuel Smith's and Coors had not responded to the revised scheme, but Scottish Courage still objected.

Tadcaster councillor Jean Ashton, calling for the plan to be rejected, said Tadcaster did not have a thriving economy. "The last thing we want is contamination of brewery boreholes and the closure of breweries and job losses."

An Environment Agency officer said she could not guarantee freeedom from contamination, but the agency was satisfied measures were in place to minimise any risk.

Updated: 11:04 Wednesday, October 22, 2003