Residents urged to object to proposals to close Longridge tip two days a week

County councillors meet on Friday to discuss a report recommending seven of the county’s waste centres reduce their opening days from seven to five. Those on the cuts list include Longridge and Clitheroe.

The report also recommends cutting opening hours for all centres to 9am-5pm.

The county council’s internal scrutiny committee is being asked to provide feedback to the council’s deputy leader Sabden Coun Albert Atkinson who is responsible for waste management.

If accepted the plans to save £734,000 could form part of the council’s budget proposals for 2019/20.

But the cost cutting move has already been criticised by y borough councillors in Ribble Valley who fear it will lead to increased fly-tipping. They are now urging the public to object to the proposals.

Coun Richard Newmark said:”Reducing the hours of access to households and businesses in the Ribble Valley for waste disposal will increase the amount of fly tipping that is taking place...We have asked our County Councillors Ian Brown for Clitheroe and David Smith for Longridge to raise the public’s concerns at the committee.

“As the largest borough in geographical terms in the county it is important to keep adequate hours of opening for these centres, particularly in the light of new housing increasing the population. It will mean travelling to Burnley or Preston for residents and the temptation for some will be dump the rubbish.”

Longridge Dilworth Coun Ken Hind, leader of Ribble Valley Council, noted: “If fly tipping increases due to shorter hours at waste stations, the borough has the duty to clear it up and picks up the cost. Last year there were 724 separate fly tipping incidents in the borough.

“We ask the public to object to reduced hours.”