TOWN councillors have vowed to fight proposals for a rubbish tip in a residential street.

Members of Dorchester Town Council's planning and environment committee said plans by Dorset County Council for a waste and recycling plant in St George's Road, Fordington, are unacceptable and officers should think instead about putting it in Poundbury.

Councillor Louise Taylor said a letter received by the committee from the county council's head of planning Andrew Price did not properly address concerns about putting the tip in St George's Road and gave no reason for not considering the Duchy land.

She said: "I'm slightly confused as to why it's not being relocated in Poundbury, particularly as West Dorset District Council planners have no objections to having the site there."

Coun Molly Rennie said people living in the St George's Road area already had enough to put up with because of the sewage treatment works. She said to put a tip there as well would create a large disturbance for them.

She said no viable reason had been put forward as to why any one of a number of sites on Poundbury could not be considered.

She said: "Just because the developer up there doesn't want it is no reason for it not to be there."

Coun Susie Hosford agreed: "Poundbury cannot cherry pick what it wants up there.

"They're very happy to have the new schools and other good facilities but they must take their share of the not-so-pleasant things, too."

The committee last night resolved to write back to the county council asking it to reconsider the plans.

The new centre is proposed for land on St George's Road at its junction with Eddison Avenue as part of the Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole Waste Local Plan.

But nearby families are also urging council bosses to bin the dump and look for a site elsewhere

Prior to the meeting residents joined Lib Dem spokeswoman Justine McGuinness and Dorchester Town Councillors to tell Dorset County Council to bin plans to put a new waste site in Dorchester, at a meeting to discuss the plans.

Coun Taylor said: "Dorset County Council wants to move the household waste site from its current location near the sewage works to a residential area, St George's Road, near Eddison Avenue - a small field that is currently home to horses.

"Local residents are horrified and ready to fight the plans."

Ms McGuinness added: "While I fully support recycling, this site is the wrong location for a busy waste management site. The county council want to squeeze a waste site into the one small field available in a residential area.

"The household waste recycling centre must be put somewhere else away from existing and proposed housing. The access to the site is very poor. St George's Road simply will not be able to take the traffic.

"I would urge people to write to Dorset County Council before November 11 to object and join our campaign to bin the dump. I hope we can make the county council see sense."