Householders in East Hampshire who were turned away from recycling centres because of the size of their trailers are to be given a reprieve.
The move had sparked fears that there would be an increase in fly-tipping if people could no longer dump trailer-loads of rubbish at the waste recycling centre in Bedford Road, Petersfield.
Hampshire County Council has re-thought its policy to sto
p restrictions on 6ft by 4ft sized trailers from being allowed in to get rid of waste at its sites.
Now a permit system will let householders who own trailers up to 10ft in length to use the facilities.
However, trailers longer than 10ft are still not being allowed in.
Hampshire County Council environment spokeswoman Sarette Martin said: “We had a number of enquiries from householders who did not necessarily want to take household waste, particularly garden waste, to a recycling centre in a car.
“The issue was they would have to take a few trips in the car rather than just one trip.
“At the moment we have relaxed the restriction for trailers measuring between 1.8 metres and up to 3.0 metres (approximately 10ft).”
She added there was no width restriction on householder trailers, provided they can fit on the road.
The permits will work in the same way as those introduced in February for householders who visit in commercial vehicles when it is the only car in the household.
They allow for up to 12 visits to any Hampshire Waste Recyling Centre in a calendar year using a trailer of the specified size.
Hampshire County Council originally introduced the restrictions to prevent queues of traffic outside the centres and to clampdown on commercial waste, which is estimated to cost Hampshire taxpayers £1 million a year.
Anyone wishing to apply for a permit can log onto the website: www3.hants.gov.uk/waste-and-recycling/tradewastecontrols.htm or call Hampshire County Council on 0845 603 5634.
The full article contains 331 words and appears in PP-Post Edition newspaper.
