An appeal against a ruling on bad smells by a Lancashire animal rendering plant has been rejected by a planning inspector.

Residents living close to Fats and Proteins UK in Lancaster had complained about the plant's smells for several years.

On Thursday, a government inspector refused to accept the company's appeal against an order for it to stop odours going beyond the plant's boundaries.

A final decision lies with the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), but environment secretary Margaret Beckett is understood to support the ruling.

Campaigners against the plant, which operates from Nightingale Hall Farm, described the ruling as a "tremendous victory".

Fats and Proteins UK declined to comment on the inspector's decision.