Ormrod Diesels has already received planning permission for a gas-and-oil fired station at the former Wheal Jane tin mine near Truro.

Now the company is asking to burn animal fat - or tallow - as well, creating the first such plant in the county.

Planning consultants have assured residents that burning fat will cause no health problems.

Tallow will attract rats and we are very, very concerned about it

Hedley Millington, resident

But local people fear the rendered animal meat could be infected with BSE and foot-and-mouth disease.

They are also concerned about noise levels, smells and the attraction of rats to the animal fat.

Hedley Millington, who runs the Nancarrow Gundogs boarding and breeding kennels opposite Wheal Jane, fears his business could be ruined.

"I'm horrified," he said. "Tallow may come from animals which were infected by BSE and foot-and-mouth.

"Tallow will also attract rats, and we are very, very concerned about it."

But Phillip Rothwell, from Ormrod Diesels, said extensive research had been carried out and residents' fears were unfounded.

"We are currently running a similar station in Lancashire to the one proposed at Wheal Jane.

No smell

"We are running it on tallow at the moment and there is no noticeable difference in smell or emissions," he said.

Carrick District Council chief planning officer Derek Ballard said there were a number of issues that needed examining before a decision was made.

"Tallow does appear to be a widely used material and is employed elsewhere as a means of electricity.

"It's not new, but it is new to us and that's why we need to look at it carefully," he said.