DALES residents fighting plans for a renewable energy village on their doorstep have labelled new drilling operations “a financial black hole”.

Members of the Eastgate Action Group say water pumped from hot rocks under Weardale, County Durham, would be unsuitable for a planned spa because it would be contaminated and barely lukewarm at 26C.

They called for a halt to plans to develop a “Bath of the North” leisure and business park at Eastgate, saying they were working on alternative schemes to meet the dale’s economic and environmental needs.

Their criticism followed last week’s announcement that experts at Newcastle University had been given £461,000 by the Government to follow a 2004 drilling operation by creating a second borehole.

In response, hydrogeologist and environmental engineer Professor Paul Younger offered to explain the technology to the action group.

He said: “Many of the concerns they raise show a lack of understanding about how geothermal technology actually works, and some of the problems they suggest will happen as a result are blatantly wrong. For example, the temperature will be much hotter than is being suggested.

“The original borehole in 2004 had a temperature of 46 degrees at the bottom.”

He estimates that the final water temperature could be above 30C, while the water would be uncontaminated, natural saline water. He also said running costs would be low, and added: “Most people sitting in a bath of 30-degree water would be unlikely to describe it as lukewarm.

“They should really be rejoicing that the best proven geothermal resource in the UK is available in their village.

There are people all over the world who would be delighted to have it.”