PROTESTORS opposed to waste landfilling of a former quarry said last night they were unimpressed at "tougher controls" imposed on the site operator.

Campaign group Residents Against Toxic Site (Rats) has carried out a seven-year fight to close the landfill site at Houghton Quarry, Houghton-le-Spring, on Wearside.

It says the site poses potential threats to the health of residents and to the purity of the local water supply.

Household waste from Durham, Chester-le-Street, Sunderland and Newcastle is disposed of in the former magnesian limestone quarry, operated by Biffa Waste Management. Biffa says safeguards have been put in place to ensure the site is safely operated.

Now the Environment Agency has granted a Pollution Prevention and Control permit allowing Biffa continued use of the site.

Under the conditions of the permit, only non-hazardous waste from domestic, commercial and industrial premises can be dumped in the former quarry, off the A690 Durham to Sunderland road, near Houghton-le-Spring town centre.

It forbids any waste deemed hazardous being disposed of at the site.

The agency claims the permit will strengthen environmental protection, taking into account the entire operation.

Agency environment manager Julian Carrington said: "This new permit is much tougher, requiring Biffa to pay even greater attention to the potential environmental impact of the site.

"As regulator, the agency maintains that, based on the information we have, the site is not posing a significant environmental risk."

But Rats chairman Colin Wakefield was unconvinced.

"It is crystal clear that if this was a new application, it would be refused.

"We don't really have an argument with Biffa, just with the Environment Agency, which we believe has made a serious error of judgement allowing this to continue.

"No one should be under any illusion that there's such thing as 'non-hazardous' waste.

"We don't want to be proved right in the future when our health is suffering."