FRUSTRATED drivers are being left to wait for up to 45 minutes outside a town’s tip, despite it being open.

Stephen Dixon, of Kings Head Street, is calling for a change at the Dovercourt Recycling Centre, in West End Lane, to help reduce long queues.

He contacted Essex County Council to complain about the unscheduled closures to move containers or compress contents after being stuck in long delays.

But he was told the work could not be done before or after the opening hours due to its planning permission.

Mr Dixon added: “They gave some useful feedback saying that the first hour of opening and the hour before they close is when they don’t move containers or do any compressing. That’s information a lot of people don’t know - I don’t think that’s advertised.

“But if they say they can’t do it before or after the opening hours then can they reorganise the work there and do it at say 10.30am to 11am and 3pm to 3.30pm and advertise that on the board so people know.

“On several occasions when visiting, I have had to wait in a long queue of traffic during advertised opening hours while contractors close the site.

“They put a barrier up and no member of the public or vehicle is allowed in. Typically, the temporary closure periods last 30 to 45 minutes.”

An Essex County Council spokesman said: “The exchanging of containers can be a very dangerous procedure, so for safety reasons closure of the site is unavoidable.

“We appreciate unscheduled closures cause queuing and lead to frustration for users so endeavour to keep unscheduled closures as short as possible.

“This site is managed under contract by Veolia so we have passed on the comments so they can give consideration to their transport planning.”