West Norfolk councillors vowed that the voice of the people would be heard tonight, as they voted to oppose plans to build an incinerator near King's Lynn.

There were hundreds of protestors outside Lynn's centuries-old Town Hall, as the emergency meeeting got under way this evening.

The council chamber and Stone Hall were both full long beefore the start of the meeting, while hundreds more gathered on a car park at the rear of the building where a PA system had been rigged up.

Michael De Whalley, from the King's Lynn Without Incineration group said: 'It's amazing, people have really taken the issue to their hearts.

'It's become more than an issue about an incinerator - it's become an issue about local democracy.'

Anti-incinerator campaigner Francis Nolan said: 'I think it's sad, because we have voted in a fair referendum, over 65,000 people said no but were ignored by the Conservative county council.'

Fellow protestor John Hocknell, a retired newspaper photographer, said: 'There are people here protesting who have never taken to the streets before.

'There are as many people furious about the aftermath of the referendum as there are about the incinerator.'

Norfolk County Council's cabinet ignored the poll and give the Anglo-American consortium Cory Wheelabrator the contract to build and run the plant.

Introducing the four motions to the council, its leader Nick Daubney said he did not become a councillor to shove down people's throats something they did not want and did not need.

The four motions were all carried unanimously - apart from one abstention from the second.

They read: 'In a recent poll nine out of every ten people who voted, opposed the construction of a municipal mass burn incinerator at Saddlebow, Kings Lynn.

'The council deplores the decision taken by the cabinet of Norfolk County Council on March 7 to approve the contract for the construction of a mass burn incinerator in Saddlebow.

'The council condemns the decision because it was undemocratic in that it ignored the 65,000 local people in West Norfolk who votes to opposed the incinerator.

'It went against the wishes of the two elected MPs for West Norfolk both of whom oppose the incinerator and because it strikes at the very heart of the localism agenda.

'This council believes the actions of the county council have given notice to the public that the application to construct the incinerator has been 'predetermined' and so disqualifies the county council from being a competent planning authority in this instance.

'Further, this council believes that financial arrangements set in place with the contractor impede on open and fair decision process. 'Therefore, we call upon the secretary of state to 'call in' the decision and determine the application.

'This council opposes the construction of an incinerator at Saddlebow, King's Lynn Council instructs the chief executive to bring an urgent report to cabinet to consider appropriate measures open to the borough council to give effect to these recommendations, together with any consequent resource implications.'

Rebel Tories have joined councillors from all other parties in calling in the county council's decision to award the incinerator contract in the face of such opposition.

The county scrutiny committee, which is due to discuss the call-in next Tuesday, could refer decision back to the full council.

See tomorrow's Eastern Daily Press for a full report on tonight's meeting and follow the updates on here edp24 tomorrow as they happen.