ONE might wonder what North Yorkshire County Council's waste operation, Yorwaste, has against that corner of the county bounded by the neighbouring communities of Scorton and Brompton-on-Swale.

Just weeks after the county controversially granted planning consent for a new waste tip at Scorton, Yorwaste's plans for a waste transfer station at Brompton-on-Swale are unveiled.

This is required, as an interim measure, to handle waste after the existing Scorton tip is closed and before the new one becomes available.

The operation will sort waste from around the county before being moved elsewhere, possibly Guisborough, for landfilling. There would be up to 200 HGV journeys to and from the site every day and inevitably there will be noise, dust and smell.

No doubt it suits Yorwaste to run this transfer station from a site close to their existing operations at Scorton, but in making the proposal the company appears to be showing some contempt for local feelings.

There has been, we understand, little consideration given to alternative sites and there is no doubt other centrally located industrial estates with suitable premises which are not so close to other retail businesses and housing.

It is encouraging that Richmondshire's planning officers are recommending that the plan be turned down when the matter is discussed by the authority's environment committee next week. We trust Yorwaste will take their plan back to the drawing board and consider giving the people in these two villages the short but nevertheless welcome opportunity not to be the county's dustbin.