CAMPAIGN group Action Against Ansa has stepped up its attempts to block the new environmental hub, despite construction starting on Cledford Lane last week.

The group, which holds regular protests, has enlisted the help of an air quality specialist who has scrutinised Cheshire East Council’s environmental reports, compiled by technical consultancy company WYG, pro bono.

Despite reassurances through the original report, concerns remain over potential odours and the amount of HGVs travelling to and from the site.

Campaign leader and Middlewich town councillor David Latham said: “We made contact with an air quality specialist – one of the top guys in the country.

“He has looked at the air quality assessment done by WYG for Cheshire East Council, and the odour assessment and environmental report. With all these three, he has ripped them to bits.

“He questions the validity of an awful lot of results that have come out of the report.

“When an air quality specialist does a report they do them in such a way that any colleague will be able to do a report and come up with the same results. It should all make sense, but these reports don’t do that.”

The specialist, whose identity is being protected by Action Against Ansa, raised more than 20 individual queries after examining the report, many of which question the consistency of figures used to compile evidence.

Cllr Latham has sent letters containing the specialist’s comments to a number of senior figures at Cheshire East Council, including council leader Rachel Bailey and Ansa applicant Ralph Kemp.

At Monday’s town council meeting, Cllr Latham’s proposal of a letter from Middlewich to Cheshire East Council demanding work stop immediately was rejected, although the town council will request a full explanation.

A spokesman for Cheshire East Council said: “We have received a report from Action Against Ansa that has been passed to our environmental health team to consider.

“We can also confirm that all planning procedures were met prior to construction beginning on the environmental hub.

“Planning permission was granted for the construction of the hub and we are satisfied that we have been fully compliant with all procedures.”