A NEW front in the battle against the proposed incinerator has been opened up - and teenagers are in the vanguard.

Two friends from Walter Nash Road - in the shadow of the would-be £40 million facility - on Kidderminster's Birchen Coppice estate have joined forces and asked nearby residents, both adults and children, their views.

Now they plan to hand in the dossier to the public inquiry into the plans taking place at Kidderminster's town hall until March 26. Samantha Norris and Dana Yardley who are collecting comments on the proposed incinerator.

The campaigners have not yet encountered anyone with a good word to say about the mammoth project, which could be built on the site of the former British Sugar factory on Stourport Road.

"We went all round the estate getting comments," explained Dana Yardley, 14. "It was fun going around asking people.

"No-one wanted or liked it."

Co-agitator Samantha Norris, 13, who attends Harry Cheshire High School said: "The people who want to put the incinerator up don't live near it. We're growing up in the area but they're in their 40s and 50s.

"I don't want to move away from the town when I'm older and we don't want it to affect our kids."

Dana, who is tutored at home by her mother Cindy, said their project had given young people a say. "We thought no-one cared what the kids thought. The majority of our friends are quite frightened of it.

"My friend Noza is petrified he's going to get cancer and he's not normally like that."

As their evidence shows many other youngsters in the area feel strongly about the bitterly opposed proposals.

Dawn Saunders, 14, also from Walter Nash Road said: "I think it will damage health and smell a lot worse than the sugar beet factory. I suffer from asthma and I think it will make my chest even worse."