A COUNCIL has moved allay concerns by members of the public using the tips in both Northwich and Winsford.

Some residents using the household waste recycling centres in both towns said visits to the facilities this week resulted in them being asked to provide ID which could prove their home address.

Several comments made on social media went on to suggest that workers at both sites said the request was being made because neighbouring boroughs such as Warrington had been placed into Tier 3 restrictions.

However, Cheshire West and Chester council said this was not the case as both centres are for the use of Cheshire West residents only, and that users may be asked to provide proof of residency.

A spokesman said: "This is not a new policy and more detail can be found online.

"We hope that this doesn’t cause our residents too much inconvenience but by adopting this practice we are providing a service that meets the needs of our residents, whilst also ensuring that the costs of running the centres are kept to a minimum."

Northwich Guardian:

CWAC Council say the tips in Winsford and Cheshire are for Cheshire West residents only.

Additional concerns were also raised by some who fear the change could bring about a rise in fly tipping, but the council moved to quickly dispel that such a link is relevant.

The spokesman added: "Flytipping is not acceptable and all cases reported to the Council are investigated and prosecution is sought if necessary.

"The request for proof of residency has been policy for some time.

"We haven’t seen any direct correlation between the request for ID and fly tipping.

"We have instigated measures to allow social distancing at our household waste recycling centres and this may mean a short delay in recycling your waste and we thank residents for their patience and understanding."

The council have advised residents to check out its code of conduct for users visiting its recycling centres, which can be accessed here.