Tip reaches its limit

Huge queues along Bexhill Road added to backlogged cars trying to get into the Wyevale Garden Centre and left visitors frustrated and angry.

Many turned back after short periods with people asking: if they are not using the tip, where are they throwing their rubbish?

And if proposals to increase services at Pebsham Tip are accepted, traffic dust and noise will only increase. Proposed changes would include material recovery and waste transfer.

One man, who queued for an hour and 35 minutes last week, was Trevor Dennis, 60 (pictured). He said: "So many cars turned back. Where are they dumping their rubbish? At the roadside or over the countryside, that's where.

"When I finally got there, I ended up dumping cardboard because I had been waiting so long."

Mr Dennis, of Westfield, said congestion along Bexhill Road is getting worse and with the tourist season fast approaching, the problem will only multiply.

"The number of cars and lorries is unbelievable," he said. "We don't have rubbish just from Hastings anymore. Something must be done."

Jane Brown and her husband Mike visited on Monday to beat the queues but still waited an hour.

"It was ridiculous," said Mrs Brown. "They have re-organised it so only four cars fit at the top with two or three at the bottom.

"We don't burn anything and always dispose rubbish in the correct way, but no wonder people are fly-tipping."

Mrs Brown, from Bexhill, said a scheme in Holland, where a van picks up garden waste and returns compost for a small charge, would be an ideal solution.

A county council spokeswoman said: "There have been changes at Pebsham and we are asking people to sort waste and recycle which is taking longer.

"The volume of rubbish people are throwing away over Easter has been massive and we are urging them to stagger visits which will cut the queues down."

She added more space has been allocated and signs will be improved to show what materials can be recycled. In the month since the changes, the recycling rate has already doubled.

Pebsham now accepts cans, tins, car batteries, flattened cardboard, engine oil, fridges, freezers, glass bottles, jars, green garden waste, small amounts of hardcore and soil, metal, mobile phones, paper, wood and timber for recycling.

The waste consultation ends on May 14. Comments can be made on forms provided by the county council.