Romsey and Southampton MP Caroline Nokes has compared some waste incinerators to what she called Trojan Horses – “It is presented as a clean, green way to heat the local town, but it is far from that.”

For the third time this year Ms Nokes has used a parliamentary platform the air the issue of the proposed Harewood Incinerator close to Whitchurch, Hampshire, which the American company Wheelabrator want to build.

She was speaking at a Westminster Hall debate on commercial and industrial waste incineration which was sparked by objections to a similar proposal for Cardiff.

Like Harewood the heat it would produce would have no market and go to waste.

An 8 km trench would be required to transfer the Harewood power generated to the National Grid.

Ms Nokes said that all over the country incinerators “are being dressed up as energy producing waste plants.”

She added :”We have to account for the true cost of these facilities, the impact on air quality, the emissions from heavy diesel vehicles driven many hundreds of miles to bring waste from far afield, and the current policy which allows CO2 from biogenic (food, plants etc) sources to be ignored in the context of climate change.”

She said that 50% of the energy generated comes from burning fossil carbon - plastics – and emits as much pollution and CO2 as coal fired energy and added “would we really consider building new coal-fired power stations.”

Andy Jolliffe, spokesman for the Keep Test Valley Beautiful campaign group said: Ms Nokes clearly has a deep understanding of the problems with these incinerators and we are pleased she is highlighting them among the people who decide future waste policy.”

A new Government strategy for waste is expected soon and it will include a huge expansion of household food waste collection, diverting it from incineration.