A FATHER of two from Stroud has begun a hunger strike in protest of a “lack of transparency” in relation to a contract to build a waste incinerator.

Construction of the £500m incinerator is underway at Javelin Park near Stroud.

Yesterday Sid Saunders and a group of supporters set up a camp on the steps of Shire Hall in Gloucester.

Protesters pledged to stay there until the Gloucestershire County Council provides the full details of its contract for the incinerator.

The council was ordered to release parts of contract to the public following a freedom of information tribunal decision in March 2017 but, in Mr Saunder’s view, the council has not published enough.

“There is a lack of democracy, transparency and accuracy coming from the council,” said Mr Saunders.

“Local people have been fighting the mass-burn incinerator for years and they’ve been bulldozed, ignored and silenced at every turn.”

But, reacting to the hunger strike, a spokesperson for GCC said: “We released the contract in line with the FOI Tribunal’s decision in April last year and a copy of it is on the county council website.

“We are going through the recent changes to the contract as quickly as possible to see what we can legally release and will update the public as soon as we can.”

The Javelin Park incinerator - known officially as the Gloucestershire Energy from Waste Plant - is due to be operational in 2019.

Since plans were first unveiled the incinerator has been marred in controversy.

This included a failed legal challenge in the High Court by Stroud District Council in 2015 on the grounds the planning inspector had “made errors”.

The county council denies the incinerator will be a significant risk to public health and stresses it will be regularly inspected by the Environment Agency.