RESIDENTS are fuming after taking their household rubbish to the Bridgwater recycling centre – to discover on arrival it was closed.

The site at Saltlands brought in its new opening times on Monday, and the centre is now closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Pensioner Julia Applerley said: “I’m furious because the stuff in my car is really heavy and I have carried it all the way out of the garden, through the house and took it back again. It’s hard work. I wish I had have let my son take it to Bristol.”

Will Ansell said: “If centres are closed, people will only start fly-tipping. They should get people off benefits and they would have more money for things like this.”

Coach driver Jeremy Turner was angry because he had packed his car to the brim. He said: “It was a waste of time driving down here. I will have to unload all this stuff as I need my car for work.”

John Chedzey complained that the sign notifying people of the changes to opening hours had been put on the gate, which was usually open, and not visible.

Arthur Fry said he would not pay £2 to use the centre at Middlezoy. He said: “I pay my council tax – nearly £1,000 a year.”

Nick Cater, of the Somerset Waste Partnership, said automatic number plate recognition cameras were monitoring the site and that anybody caught fly-tipping could be prosecuted and fined.

He said as soon as the partnership was notified of the problem, staff headed to the site, where together with Sedgemoor District Council workers, they are now removing all the rubbish.