HAZARDOUS chemicals do not belong where people live was the message from more than 100 residents who packed out a public meeting.

South Craven residents crammed into St Peter's Church Hall, Cross Hills, last Thursday to hear why the village's Airedale Chemical Company wanted to increase its stock of sodium bichromate (classed as very toxic) and formaldehyde (toxic).

The company, based on Skipton Road, originally wanted to stock more than five tonnes of a second very toxic product, but this was dropped due to "commercial reasons".

Much concern has been raised by councillors and residents over the company's bid to obtain planning permission from Craven District Council and Glusburn Parish Council called the public meeting to get interested parties together.

Airedale Chemicals' technical manager John Ciesielski said the company wanted to increase its stock of sodium bichromate from five to 10 tonnes, and formaldehyde from 50 to 65 tonnes.

He added: "I want to make it clear we are not dealing with sodium cyanide. It's not part of the application and we will not be stocking sodium cyanide."

He added "gigantic" amounts of formaldehyde, around one million tonnes a year, were used in the UK, compared to five million in America.

He added: "We all live and breathe it, I want to make that clear. The toxic product is in every day life. There's a higher concentration in your homes than we have in our factory. The fumes are dissolved in water."

et fact that the bichromate was in powder form and would be dissolved in water. He said it was not explosive or flammable and nothing was discharged into the River Aire.

But Keith Midgley, chairman of Kildwick Parish Meeting, said it would be far better if the company operated from a more remote area.

He added: "People make mistakes."

Another resident added: "I feel very uncomfortable. I'm not an expert, but I know we shouldn't be near any sources of emissions. There's not even a proper fence. Formaldehyde can cause cancer. Working with formaldehyde, do so at your peril.

"I live opposite the company and there are times when I could have gone straight up to the chemicals - it's not good enough is it?"

Another villager added: "We all use chemicals every day and there have been major incidents with chemicals going wrong, even though safety checks were in place. Hazardous chemicals don't belong where people live."

One resident living next door to the company was concerned about chemicals "seeping" through into his yard.

Mr Ciesielski reassured residents the whole site was contained.

He added the fire brigade had visited the site three times over the last six weeks and emergency planning had been agreed.

He added: "In 15 years we have not had an accident or incident, even though we deal with 30,000 tonnes of chemicals a year. That's an impeccable record."

Simon Render, fire station manager at Skipton, said a cross-border emergency exercise involving up to eight fire engines would be carried out in early summer.

Residents will be invited on to the site and Glusburn parish councillors were due to visit the company this week.

The application will be determined by Craven District Council planning committee, but it cannot be put before members until the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has commented.