AN incinerator damaged by an explosion is back in action.

The Vine Street burner is up and running again after the accident in September.

An explosion caused a water pipe to burst, extinguishing the incinerator's fire.

SITA, the company which runs the plant, paid for the repairs.

And Kirklees Council environment manager Steve Noble is pleased that everything has gone to schedule.

He said: "It went according to plan. The incinerator was fired up on November 5 and started taking rubbish three days later."

Waste was sent to landfills during the repair work but Mr Noble still believes Kirklees will remain a trailblazer in re-using waste.

He said: "Despite the operational setback we still expect to have one of the lowest landfill rates in the country."

Last year 76% of the district's waste was either incinerated - creating enough power for 10,000 homes - or recycled.

Because of the accident, Mr Noble expects the 2006-07 figure to fall to 70%.

And he said avoiding landfill was in the interest of the people of Kirklees.

Mr Noble said: "Not only is landfill expensive, it stores up problems for the future.

"Even when a landfill site is full, the methane gas it produces has to be managed for 40 years."