Two thousand vehicles turned away from Smallmead recycling centre

Calls for better advertising of ban for West Berkshire residents

THOUSANDS of people have been turned away from the Smallmead Recycling Centre since a new permit scheme was introduced last month, which bans West Berkshire residents from using it.

The scheme came into effect on July 1, after West Berkshire Council withdrew its £500,000 annual contribution.

Figures released last week reveal that in the two weeks between July 1 and July 15, a total of 2,010 vehicles were denied access to the tip.

It is not clear how many of the 2,010 were West Berkshire residents, as some vehicles were commercial and would not have been permitted to use the site even before the new scheme was imposed.

Although 2,010 vehicles were turned away, this marked a 14 per cent drop on the numbers of people looking to dump waste at the site before the ban was imposed.

At a West Berkshire Council meeting last week, opposition leader Alan Macro (Lib Dem, Theale) said: “That is a very large number and would suggest to me that the council has not done enough to advertise the ban.”

However, the council’s porfolio holder for waste, Marcus Franks (Con, Speen), disagreed, saying that it was widely advertised on the council’s website and on social media.

Bracknell Forest, Reading and Wokingham residents pay for the re3 recycling centres from their council tax, and local authorities are clamping down on the number of non-residents taking advantage of the facilities.

Reading Borough Council’s lead councillor for neighourhoods, Liz Terry, previously said: “We have been encouraged by the numbers of residents using the permits when visiting the Bracknell and Reading recycling centres.

“When they are displayed in car windscreens it certainly helps to make the ID checking process easier and quicker.

“We understand the frustration sometimes experienced by those we have had to turn away, but we will always allow access to re3 area residents on receipt of a permit or valid ID, and visitors from other local authority areas can still use their own council’s facilities to dispose of their household waste.”

Last month, West Berkshire councillors gave their backing to introduce an identical ban on Hampshire residents using Newtown Road Recycling Centre and Padworth Recycling Centre.

West Berkshire Council says it is implementing the move after Hampshire County Council withdrew £200,000 worth of funding for the facilities.