PROTESTERS have warned of a vast increase in fly tipping if plans to charge for dumping soil and rubble at waste sites throughout North Yorkshire go ahead.

Over 1,100 people responded when the county council consulted over moves to stop accepting the waste or charging for its disposal at the 20 household waste recycling centres across the county.

The authority is looking at allowing contractors, who run their centres, to charge for taking in soil and rubble.

The aim is to save the £240,000 it costs to dispose of it, and up to £330,000 if they also charge for plasterboard.

The move comes as part of massive cost cutting by the authority to save £94m following government budget cuts.

But after a ten week consultation over 80 per cent of the 1,126 people who responded did not want the centres to stop taking soil and rubble, 56 per cent agreed all the centres should accept it at a charge, but many warned it would lead to an increase in fly tipping.

One resident said: ”Frankly it should be left as it is, otherwise we as a county are going to end up with a vast fly tipping problem, one that is worse than already exists. Households are paying through the nose for facilities and the abusers, ie professional builders should be targeted.”

Another objector said:”This survey is biased to one end and fails to cover the real issue, waste will be disposed of unlawfully as it is at the moment, but on a far greater scale, your savings will be to the detriment of the local councils.”

In a report to the council’s executive committee, officer Ian Fielding said feedback from other authorities suggested there may be a slight increase in fly tipping initially but this would decline and have minimal impact on savings.

He said there was no significant increase in fly tipping in 2008 when they limited soil and rubble disposal at waste sites and in 2011 when the council closed them on Wednesdays.

The executive committee meets on February 4 and is being recommended to agree that soil, rubble and plasterboard should be viewed as contractor waste with charges made to cover costs from April