BANBURY MP Sir Tony Baldry has waded into a row over liquid waste at a north Oxfordshire dump.

The move comes after villagers opposed an application by waste firm Viridor that would allow it to import liquid waste leachate to its Ardley site.

Leachate is a substance generated by landfill waste which is treated and pumped into the sewage system.

The firm was given approval to build an incinerator at Ardley, near Bicester. But as a condition, imposed after a public inquiry in 2010, it must stop importing leachate to its treatment works at Ardley once the incinerator is operating. The company wants this condition lifted.

Sir Tony has written to Eric Pickles, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, asking him to call in the application.

His letter said: “Local residents are concerned if Viridor is allowed to continue to treat leachate at Ardley, it makes something of a mockery of the public inquiry only two years ago – that it would increase the risk of flooding and will mean even more lorries going to and from the site.”

“Otherwise, what was the point of you, on the advice of your inspector, imposing a condition which could simply then be overturned subsequently without reference to you by the local authority?”

Viridor spokesman Victor Perez-Mares said: “We are seeking to change a planning condition relating to operations which have been taken place on site without any impact for many years now and which provide an essential service in the region.

“We believe it is the role of the local waste planning authority to determine applications for such changes. In this case the relevant authority is Oxfordshire County Council.”

The application was due to be discussed by the council’s planning and regulation committee on Monday but a decision was deferred until September for further information. It had been recommended for approval.