The Leader of Northumberland County Council, Councillor Peter Jackson, has called on the waste management firm Suez to reopen the 12 Household Waste Recovery Centres that it operates in the county.

The sites have been closed since the 24th March following the government's lockdown measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus.  Councillor  Jackson has written to the Chief Executive of Suez after residents contacted the County Council to express concerns about how they should deal with waste.

Council Jackson said: "The advice from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is clear, and these sites can operate providing it is safe to do so.

“The County Council are willing  to work with Suez and do whatever is necessary to get them open again as quickly as possible, and in a way that is not a risk to either employees or users."

Other local authority areas in  the country have already started to reopen their waste recovery centres to reduce fly-tipping and also to allow residents to dispose of the waste they have accumulated over the last few weeks.