A WASTE incinerator may have to be built in Merseyside after plans to burn the region’s rubbish in Cheshire appeared to be on the brink of falling through last night.

Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority is returning its focus to two sites in Knowsley, after telling leaders the option to build an incinerator on the land of Peel Holdings, at Ince Marsh, was looking increasingly unlikely. The authority last night refused to comment on the change in stance.

It is understood it is now looking once more at Butlers Farm, north of Knowsley industrial estate, Kirkby, and Crab Tree Rough, next to the Getrag Ford car plant, Halewood.

The dramatic U-turn sets the MWDA on a collision course with Knowsley Council which passed a resolution in 2007 in opposition to a new incinerator.

It is the latest episode in a long- running saga over where the waste authority should locate an incinerator facility under a Public Finance Initiative (PFI) deal ultimately worth £3bn over 25 years.

Last night, Knowsley’s Liberal Democrat opposition leader, Ian Smith, warned that, if the MWDA came forward with a planning application, current planning laws might force the authority’s hand.

Cllr Smith said: “I personally think the council did the right thing passing the resolution not to have an incineration plant within the boundary of Knowsley.

“Whether it can be carried through lawfully . . . because anybody is allowed to put in a planning application.

“Once that goes in, we are honour bound to consider it on its merit.

“Knowsley has huge swathes of greenbelt and over the next 10 years there is going to be a lot of pressure put on it in terms of whether to build houses on it.”

Peel already has planning permission for a 95-megawatt power plant that could burn up to 600,000 tonnes of waste each year on the Ince Marsh site, near Helsby, on the banks of the Mersey.

But it is understood the MWDA now fears it will be unable to compete with the private sector to effectively buy the right to burn waste on the site.

Last week, the Daily Post revealed that waste experts had warned Merseyside had run out of space for new landfill sites.

In the short term, it means more waste will be exported out of Merseyside. But it compounds the pressure to find a solution to the incinerator debate.

Knowsley Council passed its resolution in November, 2007.