Coronavirus: Long queues as Stoke-on-Trent tip reopens
Scores of cars have been lining up in Stoke-on-Trent as a tip reopened there for the first time since lockdown measures were introduced.
Hanford Recycling Centre, one of two in the city, reopened at 08:00 BST, amid council predictions of a busy day. At least 70 cars were counted arriving to dump rubbish, with queues forming up to an hour before the site opened. Stoke-on-Trent Council has implemented social distancing measures and new rules to keep visitors and staff safe. They include limiting the number of cars allowed to 10 a time, with only one person permitted in each vehicle. Staffordshire County Council also reopened recycling centres across the county on Thursday, but the second Stoke-on-Trent site, in Burslem, is not due to open until Friday. Visitors to the Hanford centre told the BBC they lined up early because they were "desperate" to get rid of their accumulated waste, with some having excess garden waste and rubbish from lockdown house moves and renovations. "We urge residents to carefully consider if they really need to make a trip to the tip," Stoke-on-Trent Council leader Abi Brown said. "Our advice is to please hold on to your waste if you can." Staff would be on site to direct visitors but would not be able to help unload rubbish, she added. Recycling centres across the country have started reopening. It follows a reported rise in fly-tipping since lockdown came into force. Last week, huge queues of about 150 cars lined up outside tips in Birmingham hours before they re-opened, with similar scenes reported at refuse centres in Manchester. Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk Related Internet Links Stoke-on-Trent City Council Staffordshire County Council