Hampshire recycling centres set to go live with number plate recognition system with plans to charge some users.

Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) will be in place at Hampshire recycling centres from 1 August.

Non-Hampshire residents who want to use Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) will be charged £5.

The scheme was expected to launch in April but rubbish tips were shut due to the pandemic.

The county council has confirmed the new measures will be in place next month.

The system means that Hampshire residents will have continued free access to HWRCs.

People who live in the Southampton City Council, Portsmouth City Council and Dorset Council areas will not be charged but still need to register.

Nearly 389,000 households have already registered for the system and anyone who has not yet registered is being asked to do so.

The scheme was intended to begin on 1 April but HWRCs were closed at the end of March following Government guidelines.

The system will ensure continued free access for Hampshire residents to any of of the 24 centres. Non-Hampshire residents will be changed £5 per visit.

The charge from 1 August is planned to offset the £500,000 annual cost of dealing with waste from non-Hampshire residents visiting the sites.

Hampshire residents can register online for up to three cars per household.

Residents also need to book a time slot each time they intend to visit a site.

HWRCs were reopened on 11 May with Covid-safe measure in place to reduce capacity and manage queues.

Councillor Rob Humby, Executive Member for Economy, Transport and Environment, said: "This is an effective and environmentally practicable option for residents who live close to Hampshire’s borders while being fair to Hampshire residents who pay for the cost of the service through their council tax.

"The financial challenges facing local councils are well-documented and are now even more acute following the impact of Covid-19, so we need to look carefully at all our costs. I believe this new system is a fair and practical way to help with that."

For more information and to register your vehicles visit: https://www.hants.gov.uk/wasteandrecycling/recyclingcentres/vehicle-registration