THE new household waste and recycling site serving the Beccles, Bungay and Halesworth area is due to open on November 1.

This week Mark Bee, leader of Suffolk County Council, and Lisa Chambers, who has responsibility for waste sites, visited the site at B&B Skip Hire Ltd at Anson Way on the Beccles Business Park at Ellough.

Mr Bee told the Journal: 'I am delighted that there is such a fine site here on the edge of Beccles which will serve the local community.

'The majority of people I have spoken to are aware of the savings the county council has had to make and are pleased that when the existing sites close there will be a real alternative available.'

Mrs Chambers said the closure of the existing site beside the A146 Beccles bypass would coincide with the opening of the new site.

'I know many people were concerned there would be an increase in fly-tipping once the free service provided by the county council stopped but in other parts of the county where commercially-run sites operate this has not been the case,' she said.

Planning permission for the new site is currently being sought.

B&B director Shirley Lake said: 'We are extending our present site to accommodate the new recycling centre.

'We are introducing a number of improvements from the existing site including having a one-way traffic system, lower-sided skips to make it easier for people to use and there will no longer be any need to close the site when a full skip is removed.'

The full skips will only have to travel a short distance to another part of the site where the contents will be sorted for recycling. At present B&B have a recycling rate of more than 93pc.

The charge for cars visiting the site will be �4 including VAT. Higher fees will apply to large vehicles.

Fellow director Steve Lake said: 'We believe the charge is fair and it should mean people visit us when they have a full load in their cars reducing the number of journeys they make.'

• What are your views on the new household waste sites and recycling centres in Suffolk. Write to: Letters to the editor, Beccles and Bungay Journal, 20 Blyburgate, Beccles NR34 9TB or email bbj.letters@archant.co.uk