Residents complain over waste site reopening delay

Kibworth waste site has been closed since November 2021 as part of a £5m facelift

Delays to the opening of a Leicestershire recycling centre have been met with frustration from some nearby residents.

Kibworth Recycling and Household Waste has been closed since November 2021 as part of a £5m facelift.

Originally due to reopen towards the end of 2022, extra work led to a new target of "early in the new year."

One social media post said it was "lit up like the Blackpool illuminations" but "the gates are bolted".

Charges concern

Improvements include allowing for more bays to be used at once, better accessibility and better traffic movement through the site, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

But one resident asked on Twitter: "Please can you explain what your interpretation of 'early in the new year' is? Still waiting for Kibworth tip to reopen.

"Wondering what charges will be imposed on the unsuspecting public when it does."

Power and permits

Another tweeted that the council should open the site as soon as possible.

"Then people will stop fly tipping. It's not rocket science, people have waste to get rid of so they dump it in the country as there is nowhere else to dump it," she said.

A different resident added on Facebook: "When is Kibworth's new five million quid, plus extras, super tip going to open?

"Just drove past and it's lit up like the Blackpool illuminations, nobody there and gates are bolted after the county council have said they have to save money by dimming the street lighting in the village and have no money to fix the roads."

A county council spokesman said: "We are still awaiting the permit from the Environment Agency which is required before the site can open. We are also waiting for mains power connection.

"It is anticipated that these issues will be resolved in the near future and an opening date can be announced very soon.

"While these issues have taken longer to resolve than initially anticipated, this has not caused additional costs to the project."

The council have pointed people in the direction of alternative waste sites in Market Harborough and Oadby to dispose of their rubbish.