PROTESTORS last night accused the chairman of the foot-and-mouth Lessons Learned inquiry of snubbing them.

While community leaders said they had had their say, residents living next to the controversial foot-and-mouth burial site in Tow Law, County Durham, said they did not believe that Dr Iain Anderson could not take time in his visit to the region yesterday to have a look at the site.

Campaigner Peter Lister said: "We just find it astonishing that he found the time to come up here and he couldn't take 30 minutes out of his schedule to visit the site and talk to the liaison committee.''

Mr Lister spoke out as Dr Anderson went on to visit Raby Castle, in Teesdale.

He said: "We asked in writing if Dr Anderson would come and speak to us on the site and we received a reply to say he wouldn't have time and he had seen a site in Devon that had not been used but was similar to Tow Law.

"He said he was aware of the technical implications but how can he be if he has not seen the site?''

More than 100 people from the farming and rural community turned up on Tuesday night at the Newcastle meeting called by Dr Anderson as part of the Lessons Learned inquiry.

A spokesperson for the inquiry team said: "We were delighted to see so many people at the Newcastle meeting and have got an awful lot of useful information from it.''

He said that the inquiry had not snubbed the people of Tow Law but had attended a meeting at the Royal Derwent Hotel with representatives from Tow Law Town Council which had been constructive.

He also said that members of the inquiry team had visited the site last week and had been shown around.

Last night Tow Law town councillor Jenny Flynn said the morning meeting had been constructive.

She said: "We had a chance to have our say and we were listened to with a sympathetic ear. I think people would have felt better if it had been more open so they could hear what has been said. But this possibly could be making it a bit more thorough. We will have to wait and see.''