'Unsafe' Wombourne recycling centre shuts for second time in three months - no reopening date set

Staffordshire County Council announced on Wednesday evening that Wombourne Recycling Centre had closed due to safety concerns.

In a post on social media the council said the centre would be closed "due to the ground on the re-opened part of the site no longer being safe for the public to use".

The message continued: "Since we re-opened the southern part of the site, the team have been closely monitoring the ground, and in recent days we have noticed movement on the surface. During the closure, the team will be carrying out more testing on the ground to ensure it is safe again before opening. At this moment we are unable to provide a re-opening date."

It is not the first time the Botterham Lane site has been forced to shut its doors due to subsidence, with the problem first coming to light in March.

Residents were tasked with travelling around 10 miles to their nearest tip, Bilbrook Recycling Centre on Pendeford Mill Lane in Codsall, as a result of the closure which was ongoing for several weeks.

The centre then reopened last month, but the county council said the problems have "reappeared".

David Atkinson, assistant director for connectivity and sustainability at the local authority, said: "We regret the inconvenience because we want to provide the best possible service to the public, but safety comes first.

“We do have an alternative arrangement in place with Dudley Council, for which we’re grateful, so depending where they live residents can travel to Stourbridge or Bilbrook, or use ‘bring banks’ in their communities.”

People living in South Staffordshire who are from specific postcode areas, which are available to view on the Staffordshire County Council website, can book 10-minute slots at the Stourbridge HWRC in Birmingham Street.

The Bilbrook Recycling Centre is also available for residents to use and accepts most forms of household waste.