SAVE Radley Lakes campaigners have lost another battle in their campaign to prevent Thrupp Lake being used as a dumping ground for spent fuel ash from Didcot power station.

Six months after granting planning permission, Oxfordshire County Council has finally issued approval for the former gravel pit at Radley to be filled with half-a-million tons of pulverised fuel ash from Didcot power station until 2015.

But objectors believe they have another ace up their sleeves - declaring Village Green status for the area.

The fuel ash will be pumped via an existing pipeline from the power station.

The planning permission has 36 conditions, controlling issues such as protection of ecology, minimisation of disturbance to users of rights of way, and prevention of flooding. There is also a legal agreement to ensure that certain other areas at Radley are not used for the disposal of ash from Didcot in future, and for the long-term management of the site.

Despite a vigorous campaign by the Save Radley Lakes group, a petition with more than 11,000 signatures and 3,000 letters of objection, the county council granted planning approval last summer.

Objectors asked the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Ruth Kelly, to intervene, but she ruled that the council was free to issue permission.

The council said there were no grounds for further delaying permission.

The head of the council's sustainable development unit, Chris Cousins, said: "This has been a controversial application. The county council has a responsibility to local interests, consultees and the applicant. None of the responsible bodies, such as English Nature or the Environment Agency, has objected to the development.

"Once the decision has been properly taken, the council has a legal duty to issue the permission."

But campaigners have not given up. Save Radley Lakes member Jo Cartmell, from Abingdon, has submitted an application to have an area at Radley Lakes registered as a Village Green.

If the Village Green application is successful and Village Green rights are found to exist, it would be the responsibility of RWE npower, the owners of Didcot power station - as landowner - to respect the rights.

Mr Cousins said: "The Village Green application and the planning application are governed by different legislation and the council has to treat them separately. We have, nevertheless, in issuing the planning permission, made sure that we advised RWE npower of their potential responsibilities should the Village Green application be ultimately successful. "

The chairman of Save Radley Lakes, Dr Basil Crowley, said: "The council's decision to grant planning permission is a blow to us, but we are not throwing in the towel.

"We want to see the area granted Village Green status to protect the whole area and we are calling on npower to consider other options."

The county council is contacting RWE npower and other land and gravel pit owners seeking their views on the Village Green application.

RWE npower spokesman Kelly Brown said: "Planning consents are now in place and we will go ahead with the project in the spring.

"The Village Green status is a separate legal issue, to which we are replying. We are confident that it does not have much merit."

The manager of Didcot power station, John Rainford, said as many trees as possible would be retained and topsoil in the area stored separately during construction, to be used on the surface of new earthworks. Fish would be relocated.