The Waste Recycling Group, which runs the Eastcroft site, wants to build a third furnace allowing it to burn an extra 100,000 tonnes of waste a year.

During a protest on Friday, Nottingham Against Incinerations (NAIL) said the dioxins emissions pose a serious threat to health.

A spokesperson for the firm said it operates within safe guidelines.

Jon Beresford from NAIL said: "Many of the very toxic and cancerous poisonous substances belched into the atmosphere by incinerators are only-spot checked every six months and independently checked by the Environment Agency annually.

"The emissions levels are not set to safe levels - there can never be safe levels for dioxins."