West Norfolk council officers have been given the go-ahead to formally open talks over buying the incinerator site.

The council's ruling cabinet tonight discussed a report by chief executive Ray Harding, which asked them to agree in principle to buy the site at Saddlebow.

Mr Harding said: 'It's important that I've got a clear mandate this is the direction you want me to go in.'

He added the deal would suit the county council, which currently owns the land, because it was trying to identify ways of meeting the £30m severance cost of the incinerator contract.

County councillors voted last month to abandon the burner because it no longer represented value for money.

In his report, Mr Harding said if the borough council did not buy the land, there was a possibility it could be purchased by 'another party' for an incinerator.

He told councillors if the county agreed, the site could be valued by the government's Valuation Office, which would avoid protracted negotiations over the price of the site.

Alistair Beales, West Norfolk's portfolio holder for regeneration said at this stage, the council would only be committing itself to obtaining a valuation for the site.

Council leader Nick Daubney said he agreed with the recommendations from Mr Harding. Councillors agreed for Mr Harding to ask the county council if it was willing for the site to be valued.

Borough councillors will then decide whether to buy the site.