THE latest bid by campaigners fighting to save Radley Lakes has failed.

Those opposed to RWE npower's plans to dispose of spent fuel ash in Thrupp Lake wanted Oxfordshire County Council to make the company use a landfill site close to Didcot Power Station.

The Save Radley Lakes group, which staged a protest before Monday's planning meeting, argued that the landfill site at Sutton Courtenay - used to dispose of some ash from Didcot Power Station - could provide an alternative to dumping ash in Thrupp Lake.

The planning committee agreed to extend the life of the Sutton Courtenay landfill site by nine years to 2021.

But it said using the site as an alternative ash disposal option had been investigated by the landfill site owners, Waste Recycling Group Ltd, and was not viable.

Paul Green, of WRG, told the meeting: "It is not feasible or desirable to utilise it for the disposal of fuel ash other than at current levels."

Save Radley Lakes chairman Basil Crowley said: "If npower and WRG cannot work out how to get pulverised fuel ash into that space, it is only because they don't want to."

The county council's planning committee also agreed several submissions by RWE npower relating to planning permission for the use of Thrupp Lake for ash disposal.

Three submissions are still outstanding and will be considered by the committee at a later date.

An inquiry to determine whether Radley Lakes should be protected under village green status is ongoing. It began at the start of April and was due to last four days but had to be adjourned until next month because of the number of people wishing to support the application.