CAMPAIGNERS who believe a proposed rubbish dump will poison a vital water supply showed the strength of their opposition yesterday.

The Wingate Against Refuse (War) group is fighting against Premier Waste Management's plans for what the company says will be an environmentally-friendly, 188-acre landfill site at Wingate Grange farm, east Durham.

Yesterday, a group of War campaigners arrived at Durham County Council's headquarters to present a 3,000-name petition and an additional 1,100 objection documents.

Waving banners, representatives of War handed in their opposition papers to officials from the county council's planning department.

The protest group has already called on Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott to call in the application because they feel it would be inappropriate for Durham County Council, which has a stake of more than 80 per cent in Premier Waste, to rule on the proposal.

Residents have also drafted in professional help from a geologist to establish the danger of pollution from the dump seeping into the east Durham water table, which supplies hundreds of thousands of homes in the area.

War secretary Debra Tonks said yesterday: "We are determined to fight this proposal and although today was the deadline for objections, we have been told by planning officials that they will continue to accept letters of opposition.''

She added that the communities involved were united in their opposition to the proposal.

At Durham-based Premier Waste Management, chief executive Dr Les Grant said that until society found other acceptable ways of dealing with its waste the situation had to be addressed.

He said: "Less that three per cent of the site will be operational at any one time and it will be progressively restored.

"Wingate will be a clean, well-managed site that will have the lowest impact possible on the surrounding area.''