RESIDENTS have hit out at the county and district councils over plans for an incinerator in Hopwood.

Plans have been submitted for a chimney at Mayfield Farm, Redditch Road, which will be used for the 'processing of animal feed and the rendering of animal by-products' and be about 80ft high.

More than 100 residents have joined forces to fight the application and individual letters have been sent to Bromsgrove Council.

A spokesman on behalf of the residents said: "We are more angry about the fact these plans were submitted to Bromsgrove Council but we were then told they had been taken over by the county council because Bromsgrove couldn't deal with the matter.

"Then we were told Bromsgrove had to deal with it so now we don't know what is going on.

"We need to know because we are trying to fight this application."

The spokesman added: "We have been led to believe the chimney has already been started but we don't see how it can have been because it doesn't have a licence.

"The smells being generated are absolutely diabolical and we are being pestered by flies.

"We're not moaning about a faint smell - we live in the countryside and expect there to be smells - but this is out of the ordinary.

"There is also a lot of noise from lorries and skips being dragged around."

A Bromsgrove Council spokesman said: "We're in discussion with the county to establish which authority should deal with it."

Anyone interested in supporting the campaign can contact any Waterside Orchard resident.