The bulk of Alderney's waste will be shipped to Guernsey

Bill Walden welcomes the decision to ship waste to Guernsey but says it could have been taken three years ago.

He said Alderney's government ignored advice and he is critical of former members of the General Services Committee.

The island is planning to trial a system under which it exports the bulk of its waste to Guernsey.

'Proved wrong'

In a letter to the Alderney Journal, Mr Walden says three years of threatened prosecution from the Board of Health and three years of burning at the Impot could have been avoided.

Mr Walden draws attention to the fact that the first consultation on the island's waste problem said exporting was the best idea, but despite that advice, the States was told to look again at the issue.

He told BBC Radio Guernsey: "Being a politician does not mean you have to stand by every decision you have ever made.

"If you are proved wrong by consultants you should go along with those consultants. You should not send them away to justify your decision in the first place."

Mr Walden was expelled from the General Services Committee in 2002 for his comments on the issue.