VILLAGERS say they have been left shattered after councillors approved two controversial animal incinerators near a North-East beauty spot.

Durham County Council granted planning permission for two 50ft chimneys at a knacker's yard at Eden Hall, Hamsterley Forest, near Bishop Auckland, a popular tourist haunt.

The incinerators will be the first in the region to burn animal carcasses, including cattle more than 30 months old considered a BSE risk.

But the planning committee, which visited the site, approved the scheme after being told by officers they were happy with proposed mitigation measures and felt it would have "limited environmental impacts''.

John Warren (Animal By-Products), which currently takes carcasses to Dumfries in Scotland for incineration, says that the new incinerator would work well within British emission standards.

Planning officer John Suckling said emissions would be monitored by an independent agency appointed by the firm but overseen by Teesdale District Council's environmental health officer.

Councillors were told that the development would safeguard 20 existing jobs and create five new ones.

Mr Suckling said the site was in an area of high landscape value and that in close views the chimney stacks would be "prominent and incongruous''.

But residents said that there had been no scientific research looking at whether the high temperatures of an incinerator were sufficient to kill BSE.

Vicky Chilcott, of South Bedburn, said: "It would be ironic and tragic indeed if, through trying to prevent BSE from entering the food chain, we allowed it to spread throughout our atmosphere, to be breathed in, and to land on our crops and animals.''

Dr Chris Spray, of Hamsterley, described the report to councillors as "seriously flawed'', and another campaigner, Jonathan Peacock, also of Hamsterley, said approval would "alter the area forever'' and claimed the council was breaching its own draft waste policy by not looking at alternative sites.

The objectors also questioned whether there was a proven need for the incinerator.

Only one councillor spoke before the vote. Local Labour member John Priestley said: "I sympathise with the residents' views but, unfortunately, there are no planning grounds to refuse this application.

"The application has been supported by Teesdale District Council, the parish councils and the National Farmers' Union. It is an amenity that is unfortunately becoming a must."

Afterwards, Mr Peacock said: "I am totally shattered. They had made their minds up beforehand."

He added that the villagers had no right of appeal against the decision but would look at the possibility of seeking a judicial review.