FEARS are growing that changes to the way Thurrock residents can dispose of waste  will result in a sharp rise in fly-tipping.

From June 1 Thurrock Council will no longer allow large vans such as Transits, Lutons, HGVS, flatbed lorries, tipper vans and mini-buses into the Household Waste and Recycling Centre in Buckingham Hill Road, Linford.

Smaller vans will be allowed in but will need a permit allowing just six visits a year. Residents parking up outside the centre and trying to carry items in will be turned away and reported.

The changes are being brought in to deter building and commercial waste being taken to the tip.

Other restrictions include one car boot – equivalent to three wheelbarrows full – of soil, hardcore or gypsum-based products including plaster board, one wheelbarrow full of tiles ceramics or a toilet or washbasin will be allowed in along with five tyres per year and no more than 10 litres of engine or cooking oil a year.

Similar restrictions were imposed in Kent, including an online booking system and a £10 charge for each visit, but they have prompted a rise in fly-tipping in recent years. Thurrock has discussed a booking system but has yet to introduce it.

Gravesend resident Michael Adkins said: “Fly-tipping is not a new problem but it certainly feels like it’s increased over recent years in Kent.

“About four years ago my local recycling centre introduced charges for some types of waste and you just had a sense that fly-tipping increased around that time. It became more visible.

“Some people clearly thought why pay for something I’ve never had to pay for before, especially when I can just dump it on the side of a road.

“Then the Covid lockdowns hit, and as recycling centres reopened booking systems were introduced and remained in place thereafter. No doubt council charges for bulky waste have steadily increased over the years.

“Sadly, it’s obvious. The more barriers, especially financial, that you put in front of people, the more frequent fly-tipping becomes.”