Residents in three north Suffolk communities could face having to pay to dump household waste it was revealed last night.

People from the Beccles, Southwold and Eye areas may have to pay to leave unwanted rubbish at their household waste recycling centres.

The 'pay as you throw' schemes follow in the wake of a Suffolk County Council announcement earlier in the year that the waste sites at Beccles, Southwold and Brome, near Eye, and four others in the county were to close to help the cash-strapped authority save �1.45m.

However local communities, through their town councils, are rallying to try to keep their household waste recycling centres open.

Last night, Waveney District Council's scrutiny and overview committee was given an update on the plans by Lisa Chambers, the county council portfolio holder for waste.

The meeting heard that in Beccles the town council was negotiating with two local commercial waste disposal contractors and four others had expressed an interest in providing a 'pay as you throw' facility for the town and surrounding areas.

In Southwold, the town council has received a verbal proposal from a local businessman to operate the waste site with charges starting at about �4 a car.

Both the Beccles and Southwold sites are to stop operating under the county council on October 31.

The meeting also heard in the Mid Suffolk district, two commercial waste management companies were working on a 'pay as you throw' operation for the Brome site with Eye Town Council assessing the options. The site is set to close at the end of the month.

Mrs Chambers said people supported keeping their centres open even if they had to pay for them.

After July 31, 11 recycling sites will still be run by the county council.