Derbyshire: Hours reduced at council-run tips to save £500,000

Sites like this one in Loscoe near Heanor will soon open from 09:30 to 17:00

Council-run tips across Derbyshire will have reduced operating hours in order to save money.

The changes were signed off by county councillors on Thursday but all sites will still be open every day from the new times of 09:30 to 17:00.

Charges for tyre and asbestos disposal will be introduced as well as a trial for small businesses to use two sites.

Carolyn Renwick, cabinet member for infrastructure and environment, says the changes will save £500,000.

Derbyshire County Council is also cracking down on people who live outside the county using its sites.

Carolyn Renwick said it was important to keep the sites open seven days a week

The new changes include installing automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras at all sites to check people reside in Derbyshire before they can use the service.

The council plans to introduce a trial at household waste recycling centres (HWRC) in Bolsover and Ashbourne for small traders.

People will also be charged £4 per tyre and £6 per sheet of asbestos brought to any one of its nine sites - aiming to raise £69,000 a year.

'Keep them open'

Opening hours for the Waterswallows HWRC near Buxton are not affected.

Ms Renwick told BBC Radio Derby: "We've landed on keeping the centres open seven days a week which we think this is important so people don't have to worry about if it's open on a certain day.

"So we make the savings but keep them open seven days."

On the small traders trial, she added: "We do recognise some of the tonnage amounts [for small traders] to get the good rates is sometimes prohibiting our small businesses.

"We'd like to offer this service as a trial and just to make sure they can bring small amounts."

Plans are being drawn up for them to be introduced later this year.

The council runs nine HWRCs in Ashbourne, Bolsover, Chesterfield, Glossop, Ilkeston, Loscoe, Newhall and Waterswallows near Buxton.