A COUNCILLOR has slammed his own authority for its ‘total inability’ to reinstate recycling facilities after its contractor went into administration.

Cumberland Council informed residents of a ‘temporary disruption of service’ at the nine recycling bring sites in the Copeland area, in June.

Go Plant Fleet Services, the company that previously managed the specialised vehicle required for handling large skips at these sites, has entered administration and the council has since been working to find an alternative.

David Moore, a Conservative member who represents Gosforth on Cumberland Council, says the Labour-led council has ‘let people down’.

Cumberland Council say many of the skips need refurbished due to health and safety concerns and this process is now underway.

Cllr Moore said: “There seems to have been a total inability by Cumberland Council to be resolving this issue.

“I’m getting swamped by complaints from residents who don’t have recycling at home because they live down farm lanes and they keep coming to Seascale.

“The big issue is the amount of litter we are getting on the foreshore because people are unable to recycle. I’ve raised this issue with Cumberland and I keep getting frustrated because the answer I keep getting is, ‘we don’t know when we’re going to get this sorted’.

“This has been going on for months now. There must be hundreds of tonnes of recyclable waste that’s going to landfill.”

Cllr Moore, who also sits on Seascale Parish Council, said the litter bins, which are managed by the parish council, are being ‘rammed full’ with cans and bottles since the recycling containers at Seascale were removed.

He said: “People are coming to our recycling centre, can’t dispose of them, and are leaving them here by our foreshore bins.

“We are a tourist destination at our peak season now. It’s just a complete frustration that there doesn’t seem to be any end in sight.

“It’s having a big impact on our tourism in Seascale but it’s right across Copeland. The entire Copeland region has been let down.”

A Cumberland Council spokesperson said: "The recycling skips are an additional facility to the kerbside recycling service that the majority of residents receive.

“Due to health and safety concerns, many skips need full refurbishment and are temporarily unavailable. This process is currently underway, and we are making every effort to reinstate these skips as soon as possible.

 “We are aware of the frustration this has caused in Seascale and appreciate the community's patience and understanding during this period."

The affected sites are: 

  • Cleator Moor Co-op
  • Distington car park
  • Gosforth car park
  • Haverigg Foreshore
  • Millom Tesco
  • Seascale Foreshore
  • St Bees Foreshore
  • Whitehaven Morrisons
  • Whitehaven Tesco