Shell-shocked villagers near Selby are cold-shouldering a new environmentally-friendly sewage treatment plant after receiving quotes as high as £8,000 to be connected to it.

The connection charges to the £800,000 Yorkshire Water scheme at West Haddlesey have been described by some residents as "ridiculous".

Those villagers already connected to the existing public sewer have been told they will not have to pay a penny towards the cost of the new plant - but householders with cesspools and septic tanks have been receiving quotes of between £2,500 and £8,000.

Yorkshire Water said it was mindful the costs were "significant", but their charges scheme was approved by the industry regulator OFWAT and compared favourably with other UK companies.

War pensioner Raymond Turner, 83, and his wife Kathleen, 82, said they had been quoted £3,525 for the pipelaying work and infrastructure charge in a letter from Yorkshire water contractors.

Mrs Turner said: "It's too ridiculous for words, and we have no intention of paying it.

"It's a lot of money for us and we have decided to stick with our septic tank.

"We've been told that if we decide to be connected at a future date, the cost could be much greater, but there's no way we are paying over £3,500."

West Haddlesey builder Bill Wright said he too had decided not to be connected after being quoted £2,500.

He said: "I know a number of other villagers who are also refusing to be connected because of the cost."

Farmer David Davison, whose mother Mary faces a bill of more than £3,000, said she had decided to stick with her septic tank.

He said: "It's ridiculous - it's just too much money."

Selby MP John Grogan said he had written to Yorkshire Water asking them to waive part of the new connection charge to those residents who were not connected to the existing public sewer.

A Yorkshire water spokesman said there were considerable benefits in being connected to the new scheme. It would tackle the amount of raw sewage being discharged into local water courses and remove the need for householders to have septic tanks maintained and emptied.

He said it also removed the risk of residents being prosecuted for polluting water courses.

The spokesman added: "The costs may appear high to our customers, but the charges are outweighed by the benefits."