AN official parish poll next Thursday will give voters living in Buckfastleigh another chance to have their say on the controversial plan for Whitecleave Quarry.

The ballot will be conducted by Teignbridge Council and, although the result will not be binding, it will give authorities an indication of public opinion.

Gilpin Demolition Ltd and MVV Environment (Devonport) Ltd want to transport ash from a planned incinerator in Plymouth and remodel the material for use in the construction industry.

Simon Rines, spokesman for Buckfastleigh Community Forum, said: 'There are also 80 new incinerators planned for Britain. the market will be flooded.'

Mr Rines, a business analyst, said his research had suggested house prices were already down by as much as £20,000 in town because of the quarry plans and that further economic damage would result if the scheme was granted planning permission.

Regarding next Thursday's poll he said: 'It's official, it's run by Teignbridge. Yes, it's only open between 4pm-9pm which might make it difficult for some people to turn out, but it does give people an opportunity to send a message to the planners.'

Residents have questioned the validity of our online poll, in which a majority said they were in favour of the scheme.

Last week, we revealed that 53 per cent of those who had expressed a view via its website said they were in favour of the Whitecleave Quarry proposals.

Mr Rines said:?'Many people were concerned about the online comments.'

He said it appeared that some lived outside the buckfastleigh area.

'We were also concerned about the phrase "waste recycling plant" being used in the story. We welcome waste recycling but this isn't recycling, this is the processing and potential dumping of toxic waste.

'There is no question about Incinerator Bottom Ash (IBA) being toxic. it contains cadmium, lead, arsenic and dioxins at quite high levels.

'There's no guarantee it won't be dumped here. the only way to get it out is to sell it to the construction industry, but that is in recession.

The ballot is to be conducted in the town hall.