A SCOTTISH Minister has been labelled as displaying “swaggering arrogance” after he was pictured at the breaking ground ceremony of a controversial incinerator.

Richard Lochhead MSP, the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Food, Drink and the Environment, was on hand last week to mark the start of work at Viridor’s energy-from-waste incinerator at Oxwellmains, on the outskirts of Dunbar.

The plans were originally rejected unanimously by East Lothian Council but that decision was overturned by the Scottish Government, much to the anger of councillors and the local community.

Now, East Lothian’s MSP Iain Gray (Lab) felt that the SNP Minister had a “brass neck” to attend the start of the construction work.

Mr Gray said: “Local people were overwhelmingly against this incinerator when it was initially proposed.

“In fact, I received more letters from constituents opposing the waste facility than about any other issue until the SNP Government tried to foist a giant energy park on local communities at Cockenzie.

“East Lothian Council did the right thing and reflected the views of local people by rejecting the incinerator.

“However, the Scottish Government simply overturned that decision and imposed it on the local community against its wishes.

“To make things worse, the Government then rubber-stamped an application from Viridor to transport waste to the facility from across Scotland, breaking a previous promise that it would only be allowed to accept local waste.

“Having ridden roughshod over the local community in Dunbar in this way, it might have been courteous for Richard Lochhead to have the tact to keep his distance from the project.

“Instead, he had the brass neck to attend the start of the construction work, boast about how great it is for his waste strategy and rub salt in the county’s wounds.

“This just highlights the swaggering arrogance of SNP ministers when it comes to decisions in East Lothian.

“Time and again they have overruled local planning decisions and ignored the views of local people to force through unwanted developments in the county.” Work started on the £177 million facility last week after detailed planning permission was agreed last November.

As many as 350 jobs are expected to be created during the construction process, with work hoped to be finished by the end of 2017.

Once it is complete, 55 full-time jobs will be created, with the local economy boosted by £10 million each year.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman explained the reason for the visit.

She said: “The Environment Secretary visited the site at Oxwellmains last Friday to acknowledge this significant investment by Viridor in Scotland’s waste infrastructure and welcome its benefits for jobs and the local economy in Dunbar and more widely in East Lothian.

“Scotland’s Zero Waste Plan is clear about the shortfall in waste management capacity that requires to be met. “While Scotland is focused on moving towards a more circular economy, where goods are kept in high value use for as long as possible, there will still be a role for energy recovery for the limited waste that cannot be prevented, reused or recycled.”