FOLLOWING the temporary closure of the Household Waste Recycling Centre at Grange-over-Sands last Friday, the site is set to reopen.

The site will re-open on Thursday May 28, with a booking system in place.The council took the decision to close the site due to the number of people trying to access the site meaning that maintaining safe social distancing was proving to be extremely difficult. To ensure the safety of both staff and members of the public only those with an appointment will be able to use this particular site for the time being.

Anyone wishing to visit Grange-over-Sands HWRC will need to call 0300 003 1118 between 9am and 5pm, to pre-book one of a daily limited number of slots. Those without a booking will not be able to access the site.

To help the council manage the volume of calls they are asking the public to call in advance to book a slot working on the following basis:

Call on Tuesday 26 May for a slot on Thursday May 28 between 8am and 4pm

Call on Wednesday 27 May for a slot on Friday May 29 between 8am and 4pm

Call on Thursday 28 May for a slot on Saturday May 30 between 8am and 4pm

This same pattern will continue for the following week(s) and will be reviewed and removed once the site is able to function without being overwhelmed by the number of visitors whilst still maintaining safe social distancing.

Cllr Celia Tibble, Cumbria County Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment said: “I’d like to thank everyone for their patience who has visited one of our sites to dispose of their essential waste since they re-opened last week. On the whole all our sites have coped well with the demand with the exception of Grange-over-Sands, whose access road was unable to cope with the volume of traffic. Keeping staff and the public safe is our absolute priority and the new booking system will ensure this is maintained.”

Restrictions apply and people should read the guidance at https://www.cumbria.gov.uk/planning-environment/waste-management/default.asp before visiting.