A MEAT plant is causing a stink after its owners applied for a new operating permit.

City Council leader Cllr Ian Barker has lodged a formal objection to the plans from Fats and Proteins meat rendering plant at Nightingale Hall Farm, Lancaster.

The plant, on Quernmore Road, has been the subject of many complaints in the past after claims of foul odours - with the council taking the firm to court last year over allegations of bad smells emitted in 2001.

Fats and Proteins won that case but the council still receives almost 400 complaints each year.

Now Cllr Ian Barker has lodged four objections to the new operating permit and has suggested eight recommendations for improvement.

Says Cllr Barker: "When I read in Fats and Proteins application that they believed the plant was well managed' and that there were no odour problems outstanding', I nearly fell off my seat.

"The fact is that there continue to be outbreaks of offensive smells that spoil people's enjoyment of their homes and gardens. I wonder how they expect to get away with such an outrageous and manifestly untrue statement."

He goes on: "Fats and Proteins make no reference to the log of complaints kept by the city council, still running at about 400 a year.

"One of the first things they need to do is analyse those complaints to get a true picture. Then they would realise that they need to substantially improve their odour treatment. This must be a condition of any permit."

He says the company is supposed to use the Best Available Technology (BAT) to deal with any problems. It agrees that that means using a ther-mal oxidiser to destroy the most offensive smells but the application does not include plans to instal one.

"This must be the most important condition that must be imposed before any permit is issued," Cllr Barker told the Citizen.

He also wants to see more residents lodge protests, even though the official consultation period has expired.

"The environmental health department is now working on the conditions for a permit but is not likely to finish this before the end of February.

"In this case, it can take into account late representations. A copy of the application will be lodged in Lancaster public library to facilitate this," he adds.

Fats and Proteins declined to comment this week.