A BOOKING system has been put in place at Bromsgrove tip in an effort to try to avoid the traffic chaos that led council bosses to close the congested site at short notice.

After the sudden closure of the Quantry Lane recycling centre on Monday (July 20), concerns were raised about potential fly-tipping - with one councillor calling the decision to shut the tip 'irresponsible'.

Worcestershire County Council has announced the tip will reopen tomorrow (Saturday, July 25).

It says a booking system will be in place for part of the week during the busier times to help reduce congestion and the impact queues may have on surrounding businesses.

The council told the Advertiser safety concerns had left them with no choice other than to close the tip at the beginning of the week.

Councillor Tony Miller, cabinet member with responsibility for the environment, said: “The safety of our highways and visitors to the household recycling centres is a priority.

"The consistently high demand and the need to adhere to social distancing within the HRC has resulted in queuing on the highway.

"In the last few days, vehicles have been observed overtaking stationary traffic and obstructing other vehicles whilst on site, which resulted in the decision to close the Household Recycling Centre due to the potential risk of a road traffic collision."

The abrupt closure upset residents and Councillor Peter McDonald quickly took up their case.

He said: “The sudden closure of the tip caused mayhem with people having nowhere to go to dump their rubbish.

"It will no doubt lead to more fly-tipping and of course a financial cost to the Council to clear it up. To close the tip in such a manner is irresponsible.

"Local authorities are responsible for collecting waste an ensuring there is a means for residents to get rid of their waste.

"Sending people all the way to Redditch when they have a recycling centre on their door step is madness.

"If the tip cannot cope with the number of people using it with Covid-19 restrictions in place then they should be considering a booking system, but to just close it out of hand cannot be justified."

The council have now done just that, instructing residents they will need to pre-book vehicles online on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays as these are their busier times.

The remaining days - Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday - will be open as normal with no pre-booking required.

Cllr Miller added “The booking system has been put into place to ensure visits to the centre remain as safe as possible and so that the impact to local highways and businesses is minimal.

“Please ensure when you visit during the busier periods, you have pre-booked and that all drivers visiting the centre are considerate towards other drivers and highways users."

The Bromsgrove Household Recycling Centre is open Monday to Sunday, 8am to 5pm with the last available appointment being at 4.45pm.

Visitors are being urged to arrive as near to their booked time slot as possible and reminded they must bring their booking pass in print or digital form.

Strict social distancing measures will be maintained throughout, meaning staff will not be available to provide you with any assistance in unloading your waste.