PROTESTORS trying to prevent a refuse handling station being built near their homes were furious yesterday when a key meeting to hear their views was cancelled.

The campaigners were planning to turn out in force tonight to face council officials and waste managers in the community centre at Stainton Grove, near Barnard Castle.

But Charles Anderson, chief executive of Teesdale District Council, called off the meeting yesterday because he had not received advance notice of all the questions that the campaigners wanted to put to officials.

Mr Anderson said: "I made it clear to them that I wanted all their questions 48 hours in advance so that full answers could be prepared.

"When the deadline passed I gave them some more time, but the questions still failed to arrive. I have, therefore, cancelled the meeting. If the protestors want it to be arranged again they will have to submit their written questions. But it certainly won't be held this week."

Ruth Renton, co-ordinator of the protest group, said there had been no mention about advance questions when the meeting was first arranged.

"We haven't had time to go around getting people to write them," she said.

"We want a meeting at which we can give our views and question the council people about what they tell us. It would be pointless giving only written questions and having to make do with formal prepared answers.

"We expected the council to pull some trick to avoid the meeting, but we mean to go on fighting."

The meeting was due to be attended by representatives of Teesdale council, which owns the site, Durham County Council, which wants to build the waste depot, and Premier Waste Management, which would operate it.

It was arranged after the protestors, who include most of the 130 families living in Stainton Grove, disrupted a council meeting last week.

One of them, John Paul Greaves, chained himself to the council door.

A county team has already chopped down trees to make way for the refuse handling station and put up a strong steel fence around the site.

The protestors say the station would be too near their homes, would create a health hazard, create extra lorry traffic and rob children of a safe play area.

A petition supporting their opposition has been signed by more than 500 people in Barnard Castle.