THE fight to save a public waste disposal site in Ludlow is not over and the decision of Shropshire Council to close the facility will backfire.

That is the view of Vivienne Parry, who represents Ludlow South on Shropshire Council and is calling upon people not to give up trying to keep the site open.

She believes that not enough consideration has been given to the implications of the decision.

“I am sure that this will result in an increase in fly tipping and if this happens on the highway Shropshire Council will have to clean up and this will cost,” said Vivienne Parry.

"I intend to continue the fight for this important facility for the town."

She also believes that farmers and landowners will be affected as people decide against taking waste to the nearest tip in Craven Arms and simply dump it in the countryside.

Richard Huffer, a farmer, who sits for Clee on the Council, has also expressed concerns about the impact of fly tipping in the countryside.

There is also concern about the danger to animals and wildlife from dumped rubbish.

Ludlow Town Council also made its concerns known during a consultation on the closure.

But Shropshire Council has gone ahead with the decision to shut the site which will happen at the end of February.

Coder Road amenity skip and recycling centre in Ludlow is to close following what Shropshire Council describes as ‘a detailed review of the site and its operation, and a public consultation into the possible future use of the site.’

Closure of the amenity skip site was recommended due to its low recycling rate, the prohibitive cost of upgrading the site (£600,000), and the potential opportunity to use the land occupied by the skip site as a wider development for the local community.

It is claimed the move will also save Shropshire Council around £100,000, and encourage greater use of nearby modern household recycling centres, providing a wider range of recycling opportunities for local residents and improving the council’s recycling performance.

The final decision to close the site was made by Steve Charmley, the member of Shropshire Council responsible for waste management.

“I acknowledge that the Coder Road site is popular with many local people,” he said.

“However the majority of household waste taken to Coder Road is ‘black bag’ waste that ends up in landfill rather than going to be recycled.

"By encouraging people to use the household recycling centre at Craven Arms – at which many more items can be recycled as well as the wide range of recycling banks that can be found across the district – we can boost the amount of waste that is recycled and reduce the amount that goes to landfill, which will help the environment and saving council tax payers’ money in landfill tax and disposal costs.

“There is no evidence to suggest that other parts of the county with only one recycling centre experience increased level of fly tipping compared to south Shropshire.

“It’s important to remember that fly tipping is a criminal offence, and the vast majority of people are law-abiding.”