Tips staying shut in Black Country and Staffordshire

Robert Jenrick, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, said he had written to councils telling them to plan to reopen tips and recycling centres.

Mr Jenrick has said councils should be confident to reopen tips “as soon as possible”, although there have been warnings that protective equipment for waste workers and proper social distancing should be in place.

Its come as queues formed from as early as 7.30am at tips across the country that reopened on Saturday.

But councils across the Black Country and Staffordshire remained defiant that their Household Waste Recycling Centres would only reopen when "safe to do so".

Most of the sites have been closed since mid-March, when Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the Covid-19 lockdown measures.

In Wolverhampton, Councillor Steve Evans, cabinet member for city environment, confirmed there are no plans to reopen city tips in Shaw Road and Anchor Lane.

There has been a spate of fly-tipping in the city during the lockdown, with large piles of waste left outside the tip on Shaw Road and in Dunstall Hill.

Councillor Evans said: "Discussions about reopening tips, along with other council services, are under consideration and we will reopen when it is safe to do so and in line with government guidance."

Meanwhile in Dudley, the Household Waste Recycling Centre in Stourbridge will also stay closed for now.

Councillor Karen Shakespeare, Dudley Council's cabinet member for environmental, highways and street services, said the authority is working towards making the reopening possible.

She added: "We will reopen the site only when we are completely happy that it can be done in a way which ensures public and staff safety, full compliance with Covid-19 protocols and addresses potential issues such as excessive queuing and other traffic hazards on the highway.

"Until this time we ask people to continue to put out their household waste, recycling and green waste for collection.”

Sandwell Council's Oldbury Household Recycling Centre and Walsall Council's sites in Merchants Way, Aldridge, and Fryers Road, Bloxwich, also show no signs of reopening just yet.

And chiefs at Staffordshire County Council say they will only reopen their tips "when the time is right". The authority runs tips in Stafford, Stone, Cannock, Burntwood, Lichfield, Bilbrook and Wombourne.

Mark Deaville, Staffordshire County Council's cabinet member for commercial, said: “Government guidance has been clear that people should only leave their homes for essential travel, such as for exercise, food shopping, or work, and visiting a recycling centre does not fall into that category.

“Since the Government announcement to stay at home, closure has protected workers at the recycling centres and the public using them and reduced the pressure on the NHS. It’s also allowed those workers to support essential services elsewhere in the authority.

“We are monitoring the situation and are keeping in touch with the Government and neighbouring local authorities.

“When the time is right it is very likely that we will reopen the sites with social distancing rules in place and we will publicise all those arrangements beforehand.”