A new row has erupted between campaigners in Bishop’s Castle and businessmen who want to build a £5 million power station in the town.

A consortium of businessmen wants to develop a biomass burner but the plans have attracted criticism in the town.

Now campaigners from the Bishop’s Castle Group have accused the consortium of trying to gag them.

Campaigners and consortium members met in Bishop’s Castle on Tuesday.

Bishop’s Castle Group vice-chairman Michael Dawes said: “We were asked not to conduct the debate about the project in the Press until such a stage that the planning application had been submitted.

“We were promised and expected detailed technical information at Tuesday’s meeting, which was not forthcoming, and have been told that we will receive copies of the technical data once the planning application has been registered. This is a complete contradiction of what was promised.”

Mr Dawes said he was dismayed members of the consortium had spoken about the project in the Press.

He said: “They have tried to put an embargo on us speaking to the Press and wish to deny us the right to give the public a balanced view of the issues involved in such a development.

“When questioned on the technical side of the project the majority of the information, we are told, is commercially confidential and comparisons on technical items were not given for the same reason.”

Andy Heward, of the consortium, denied the accusations. He said: “We have told them everything we know. There are no other details. All the information we have has been passed on to them. We are being open and honest.”