Battle of the glass firms gets personal

Quinn Glass has opened the case in favour of retrospective planning consent for its factory at Ince which is already producing containers for the food and beverage industry.

Inspector J Stuart Nixon will hear evidence from both sides before making a recommendation to Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott as to whether the factory should be allowed to continue.

The planning application was "called in" by Mr Prescott's office before the general election on grounds the project had "more than local significance" after lobbying by Labour MPs in South Yorkshire where Quinn's rival firm Rockware is based.

But fighting Cheshire's corner will be fellow Labour MP Andrew Miller (Ellesmere Port & Neston) who will give evidence to the inquiry at the beginning of December.