Lafarge's Westbury plantCAMPAIGNERS have welcomed the decision to put controversial fuel trials at a cement works on hold but insist their fight is not over.

The Environment Agency has delayed trials to burn recycled liquid fuel at Lafarge's Westbury plant until 'confidence in the site management is fully restored'.

Its decision follows news rogue employees at Lafarge falsified the test results of cement content over a two-year period to December 2004.

Members of action group The Air That We Breathe have welcomed the delay but are now pushing for filters at the plant to reduce harmful emissions.

Tony Owen, area manager for the Environment Agency, said: "We are extremely concerned that data on cement quality has been falsified and have launched a thorough investigation to see if there are any implications for the environment monitoring data.

"At this stage there is no evidence to suggest problems with the data but we are carrying out a thorough check to be absolutely certain. We need to be able to reassure the public."

Lafarge was granted permission to burn the fuel for a six-month trial in June last year, despite safety fears.

They were due to start this summer but campaigners are now hopeful the Environment Agency's intervention could be the turning point.

David Levy, chairman of The Air That We Breathe group, said: "It is about time. We had a meeting with the Environment Agency last week and they were spitting feathers about the news Lafarge had falsified its cement data.

"I am not surprised they have decided to have a thorough investigation. It is now nearly three years since they started burning tyres and the money they have saved doing that would have paid for all the filters we have asked for.

"It is about time the Environment Agency sided with the public and worked within the law, which says we should minimise these emissions and there are filters that would get them down to nothing."

Dr Andrew Murrison, West Wilts MP and shadow health minister, has supported the decision.

He said: "The agency is absolutely right to examine management controls and to delve deeply into environmental record keeping, given the plant's recent history."

A spokesperson for Lafarge, said: "We welcome and are co-operating fully with the inquiry and look forward to having a continued constructive dialogue with the agency.

"Lafarge has implemented new testing and reporting procedures for cement testing data at all our works to ensure such an incident cannot happen again."