The tip has a provisional closure date of July 2008

The Environment Agency has said that the Faengoch quarry at Cilgwyn, near Caernarfon, could close on 4 July 2008.

Site operator Cwmni Gwastraff M�n Arfon has already appealed against a previous decision by the Environment Agency not to renew its current licence.

Gwynedd Council said it was "gravely concerned" about any closure because of a shortage of sites in the area.

"There is a significant shortage of landfill sites in north west Wales," said Tomos Evans, of Gwynedd Council.

"With the Penhesgyn site on Anglesey under threat, the Environment Agency's decision to close Faengoch causes significant problems to the council and in particular for the disposal of refuse from the Arfon and Dwyfor area."

Possible sites

Local resident Sandra Hilton who campaigned to get the tip closed said she was delighted with the closure date announcement.

"It's made my day, finally we've got a date and we can put up with it (the tip) for as long as it takes," she said.

Gwynedd County Council's board is due to meet next week to discuss six options to deal with waste after 2008.

The site at Cilgwyn is operated by local authority waste disposal company Cwmni Gwastraff M�n Arfon.

There are two former slate quarries on the site called Faengoch and Gloddfa - Faengoch is the site which will close, Gloddfa is on the list of possible new waste disposal sites.

'Due process'

In his report to the council's board members next week, Gwynedd's strategic director, Dewi Rowlands is expected to give a list of reasons for and against six possible new sites.

He will also tell councillors there are limited options for developing landfill in the county, because a large part of the county is within the Snowdonia National Park, and most of Dwyfor is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

An Enviroment Agency spokesman said it had been in discussions with Cwmni Gwastraff M�n Arfon about the closure of the Faengoch quarry since it was refused a Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations (PPC) permit in October 2004.

"When landfill sites are not able to meet the standards required by PPC, we have a duty to close them as soon as possible," said the spokesman.

In a statement Cwmni Gwastraff M�n Arfon said they were waiting for "formal confirmation" of the closure date, "along with the reasoning for it".

The statement added: "This will then be given due consideration by the company's board of directors.

"There is a due process which will then be followed in order to determine the final date for the disposal of waste at the site."