WORK to remove an incinerator chimney which has dominated the skyline of a Gwent town for decades starts on Monday.

The toxic waste incinerator at Pontypool's Shanks plant attracted major opposition from residents until it stopped operating in 2002.

Since then the community has eagerly awaited news that the plant's giant chimney would be demolished.

Now they have it. The company confirmed that work is to start on Monday to remove the chimney stack.

The company is pledging to turn the site into a recycling facility, and has pledged that hazardous waste will no longer be treated there.

Instead, it plans to treat 120,000 tonnes of domestic waste each year through a process called mechanical biological treatment.

Lorries would deliver the waste, which would be loaded onto production lines.

Glass and plastics would be separated, with the remaining waste being turned into a dry, inert substance which could be used for fuel. A company spokesman said work to convert the site would cost "tens of millions of pounds".

Campaigner Maldwyn Osborne, of Hillcrest, New Inn, one of many local residents who fought against the incinerator, said he was delighted that the chimney stack was going.

He added: "It's great news. Hopefully this will prepare the way for a more pleasant New Inn."

Shanks (formerly Rechem) has now sold off its UK hazardous waste business, with eight sites going to French-owned Onyx UK. Company spokesman Ceynon Edwards said the Pontypool plant would remain in the company's hands.

A planning application for the conversion is expected by December. High-temperature incineration of toxic waste began at the site in 1974. It attracted protest from the community, with residents voicing concerns about possible health risks.

There was never any conclusive proof of any health risk to local people. By 2002 the operation had become unprofitable and incineration moved to Shanks at Southampton.