SUE SKINNER A west Norfolk community recycling centre is to close at the end of next month due to subsidence at the site which is creating a health hazard.

SUE SKINNER

A west Norfolk community recycling centre is to close at the end of next month due to subsidence at the site which is creating a health hazard.

The county council, which runs the facility at Blackborough End, was last week granted planning permission for a new state-of-the-art recycling facility at King's Lynn.

But as this is not due to be completed until the spring of next year, householders are being asked to take their waste to the existing sites at Horsleys Fields at Lynn or at Wereham, in the meantime.

Ian Monson, the council's cabinet member for waste and environment, said the decision to close Blackborough End had been taken last year because of the subsidence problems.

"It's been going on for a while," he said. "The concrete foundation that it's built on has cracked and is becoming a health and safety hazard, and as such it's unsafe to continue with it open.

"There will be a break unfortunately but we can't keep the old one open.

It's no good us doing any repairs at Blackborough End - it's not worth it just for a year, so we hope people will be understanding.

"We will be monitoring the closed site daily during April to deter flytippers, and posters will remind people that it is a crime that carries a maximum penalty of £5,000.

"Posters will also redirect users temporarily to the recycling centres at Wereham and Horsleys Fields."

The Horsleys Fields site is having to be relocated to make way for the Nar Ouse Regeneration Area project.

Plans for the new facility, which will be run by the council at Poplar Avenue on the Morston Industrial Park off Saddlebow Road, South Lynn, were approved last week.

It will be the first split-level recycling centre in Norfolk, which will keep the public and operational areas separate to cut the chance of accidents.

Services will otherwise be the same as those offered at the current site.

Mr Monson added: "It's good news that our plans for a new household waste recycling centre in King's Lynn have been approved and I look forward to seeing it open in 2008.

"I'm sure that it will prove convenient for people living in the villages close to the Blackborough End site."