THE Environment Agency has hit back at claims that the North-East could become a dumping ground for most of the country's toxic waste under new European laws.

A new EU landfill directive, which comes into force in July, is expected to limit the number of sites licensed to take hazardous waste - anything from asbestos to lead or even battery acid.

Operators of sites that mix ordinary waste with hazardous waste will have to decide whether to continue taking only toxic material or only non-hazardous waste.

Those choosing to continue to dispose of hazardous waste will have to apply for permits and meet new tougher standards.

However, the greater expense of disposing only of relatively small amounts of hazardous waste is expected to lead to many operators turning their back on such disposal.

And Fiona Hall, Liberal Democrat European spokeswoman for the North-East, fears the directive would slash the number of licensed toxic waste sites and massively overload those left.

She said: "The majority of those are in the North-East and we feel it is unacceptable to concentrate sites in this way.

"To use the region as a dumping ground for the country's toxic waste would be disgraceful."

Mike Blackburn, Environment Agency spokesman in the North-East, said it was untrue to claim that the majority of hazardous waste sites would be in the region.

He said that, at the moment only one application had been received for a hazardous waste site permit - from Zero Waste, which operates the Port Clarence site in Stockton.

If granted, it would be one of only 12 newly permitted sites across the country.

At present, there are 12 waste sites in County Durham, Cleveland and Tyne and Wear licensed to take hazardous waste, but seven of those are not applying for the new permits.

The deadline for applications for disposal of the lowest risk hazardous waste is May 9.

Some 37 sites across the country are still eligible to apply within this period, including four in the North-East.

These are the Thornton Fields Landfill Site, Guisborough, operated by Biffa; the Marks Quarry Landfill Site, in West Rainton, near Durham, also operated by Zero Waste; Burnhills in Ryton, Tyneside, operated by Northumbrian Environmental Management Limited; and St Bedes Landfill Site, in Birtley, near Chester-le-Street, operated by Premier Waste Management