SO A public hearing is to be held into the burning of the controversial chemical waste-based Cemfuel at Clitheroe's Castle Cement plant.

That is good news.

But considering that the fumes from this contentious commodity has been pouring into the air of the Ribble Valley - and have been coming to ground, too - for years now, it is an event that is also long overdue.

For the fact is that the burning of Cemfuel came to Clitheroe on the quiet, with no public awareness or consultation at the start.

And the fact that it was able to is another matter for concern - despite all the investigations that have gone on since.

That is no way to reassure people about its supposed safety.

Now, at least, that deficit may be redressed - thanks, in large part, to the efforts of Pendle MP Gordon Prentice to get a public hearing.

But however long the Cemfuel saga goes on, it is clear that the way it began is largely responsible for the concern that this public hearing will have to deal with.

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