Warminster's new biogas plant has begun signing up members to its food collection scheme, including the nearby pub, the Prince Leopold at Upton Lovell.

The anaerobic digestion plant, operated by Bradford on Avon firm Malaby Biogas, is is now fully operational after its commissioning stage and already generating energy from supplies of bulk feedstock from commercial and municipal sources.

Director Thomas Minter said: “Having an operational plant to show after a year’s hard work by many local contractors is very rewarding.

“We have had many visitors over the last year, from Sambourne School in September to Warminster U3A a few weeks ago.

“Our local ‘Direct to AD’ collection scheme is building and we give priority to local food waste, so we hope the support we received during construction will translate into active participation.”

Food waste is collected twice-weekly by plant employees and delivered to the plant.

And Prince Leopold landlord Chris Wood said: “We are finally able to do something that reduces our waste travel miles and makes our bins cleaner.

“The landfill is more than 40 miles away, whereas Malaby Biogas is just three miles away. It is fantastic that we have a ground-breaking business on our doorstep so now we can genuinely tell our customers we are being green and supporting local businesses.”