Hampshire and Portsmouth tips reopen with large queues as some cars are turned away

LARGE queues built up at tips in Portsmouth and Hampshire as the household waste recycling centres reopened this morning.
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Up to 50 cars were spotted snaking back from the entrance to the centre in Port Solent before it opened at 10am.

There were queues of up to 90 minutes.

Opening hours, capacity and access has been cut back. Security was in place to monitor queues and ensure social distancing, with a small police presence.

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All tips in Hampshire are open from 10am to 4pm and are only open for people to throw away rubbish that is posing a health risk at home.

Lockdown rules meant Portsmouth City Council and Hampshire County Council closed their centres at the end of March.

But today they have reopened – with some restrictions. Instead of the usual 18 spaces at Port Solent, the site can only take four at a time.

Drivers whose vehicles have a licence plate that ends with an odd number can only access Port Solent's tip on an odd-numbered date. People with vehicles that end with an even number can only access it on an even-numbered date. This runs between May 11 and 24.

Port Solent Household Waste Recycling Centre in Portsmouth reopened on May 11 after government said local authorities should reopen tips. Picture: Habibur RahmanPort Solent Household Waste Recycling Centre in Portsmouth reopened on May 11 after government said local authorities should reopen tips. Picture: Habibur Rahman
Port Solent Household Waste Recycling Centre in Portsmouth reopened on May 11 after government said local authorities should reopen tips. Picture: Habibur Rahman
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Some vehicles were turned away today as they did not have access on an odd-numbered day.

Vehicles were seen at Bishop’s Waltham queuing to get into the centre there, with some people bringing garden waste.

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Portsmouth and Hampshire tips to reopen - opening hours, dates and new rules

Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson, leader of the city council, said: ‘The feedback is that the wait time is about an hour and a half.

Port Solent Household Waste Recycling Centre in Portsmouth reopened on May 11 after government said local authorities should reopen tips. Picture: Mark CoxPort Solent Household Waste Recycling Centre in Portsmouth reopened on May 11 after government said local authorities should reopen tips. Picture: Mark Cox
Port Solent Household Waste Recycling Centre in Portsmouth reopened on May 11 after government said local authorities should reopen tips. Picture: Mark Cox

‘The feedback from people coming out of it is that they think it’s been really well set up so that people are able to take stuff there and get rid of stuff.’

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But he reiterated advice that people must not use the centres if it is unnecessary.

He said: ‘The advice is really clear that people should only be taking stuff which is urgent to get rid of.

‘If you can keep it, keep it for a bit and wait for the queues to slow down.’

Port Solent Household Waste Recycling Centre in Portsmouth reopened on May 11 after government said local authorities should reopen tips. Picture: Mark CoxPort Solent Household Waste Recycling Centre in Portsmouth reopened on May 11 after government said local authorities should reopen tips. Picture: Mark Cox
Port Solent Household Waste Recycling Centre in Portsmouth reopened on May 11 after government said local authorities should reopen tips. Picture: Mark Cox

People turned away for coming on the wrong day have taken it well, the senior councillor added.

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‘We’ll be turning some people away who have got the wrong number plate,’ he said and added many who understood the reason for the limited access are sticking to the rules.

Opening hours and rules

All centres are open 10am-4pm, with limits on access.

Only one person per household can go to a centre.

Vans can only take the equivalent of a saloon car boot full of rubbish.

Bishop's Waltham Household Waste Recycling Centre reopened on May 11 after government said local authorities should reopen tips. The queue is interspersed with parked cars. Picture: Sarah StandingBishop's Waltham Household Waste Recycling Centre reopened on May 11 after government said local authorities should reopen tips. The queue is interspersed with parked cars. Picture: Sarah Standing
Bishop's Waltham Household Waste Recycling Centre reopened on May 11 after government said local authorities should reopen tips. The queue is interspersed with parked cars. Picture: Sarah Standing

Hampshire County Council's rules on tips

:: Use of sites is only for essential disposal of waste whereby storing such waste causes a risk of injury or to health.

:: As per government guidelines, residents in the specified vulnerable category (those who are clinically extremely vulnerable, people over 70 and pregnant women) are strongly advised not to visit a site.

:: Restricted numbers of vehicles will be permitted to access the site at any one time and site staff will enforce this at the site entrance.

:: There will be staff at the entrance to each site, wearing a body camera, to manage the flow of vehicles. Security staff will be deployed at all sites and there will be a zero-tolerance approach to any form of abuse.

:: New temporary barriers will be in place at the entrance to each site and used to mark out new parking arrangements with site staff guiding vehicles, from a safe distance, into spaces

:: As far as possible, only one person per household should visit the HWRC.

:: Due to social distancing measures, site staff will be unable to provide any assistance with unloading material or carrying material. Residents are asked to bring only the amount of waste they can comfortably carry and empty into containers.

:: Trailers are not permitted. Enforcement of social distancing on site means severely reduced capacity for manoeuvring trailers. Vans should be bringing no more waste than that which would fit in an average saloon car boot

:: Everyone must always keep at least a two-metre distance from others at all times.

:: Sites will accept all waste material streams, except for chargeable waste – soil, rubble, asbestos and plasterboard. However, some processors have shut down because of the Covid-19 pandemic and it is likely that some materials outlets may not be available in the short term. Please check the website before your visit to check if any specific material is not able to be accepted temporarily.

:: Reuse sales areas will remain closed. Where possible, please continue to store items of furniture which could be reused, donate to local furniture charities, or use online platforms (e.g. Freegle/Facebay/Gumtree). Please see the Smart Living website for more information on furniture reuse.

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