Benefit Gig - DOVE

It’s easy for Lewes people to ignore the looming menace of the proposed incinerator in Newhaven, simply because it is in Newhaven. But it is arguable that the incinerator will affect the people of Lewes more than their seaside neighbours. The vast complex, with its two 68-metre chimneys, will belch out 3 million cubic metres of carbon dioxide a day, burning 22 tons of rubbish an hour, which will be brought by 250 lorries. Toxic ash, fly ash and gases will certainly float down the Ouse Valley and pollute the air in the streets and twittens of our town. People will get ill, no doubt about it. Mothers and young children are particularly at risk. We need to think about this. We need to do more than think about this. We need to act. Lewes people need to publicly stand up against this menace.

There are alternatives. Other councils are using other methods that get rid of waste in a more constructive and less pollutant fashion. The ESCC’s answer to the problem - burn the stuff - is retrospective, short-sighted and dangerous. What’s more the incinerator is being built big enough to burn, not just East Sussex’s waste, but other counties’ waste, too. So add profitable to that list. Do you want to choke on the fumes of a Yorkshireman’s rubbish? Tonight DOVE, the organisation set up to oppose the incinerator, which still needs planning permission, is holding an evening of speeches to let the Lewes population know more about the issue. Afterwards the ska group the Don Bradmans will be trying their best to cheer everyone up again. Also make a date for the DOVE rally on October 7th in Newhaven. AL