Cuts to Buckinghamshire rubbish tips and new charges for waste disposal will come into force next month, after plans were given the green light in January.

Bledlow Ridge Household Recycling Centre in Wigans Lane will be shut down at the end of the month as part of Bucks County Council (BCC) plans to save £1.2 million amid huge “financial pressures”.

Residents who use the Bledlow site have been advised to dispose of their waste at either the Aston Clinton recycling centre, or High Heavens in High Wycombe from April 1.

Opening hours at the recycling centres in Burnham, Chesham and Rabans Lane, in Aylesbury, will be reduced, closing on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

All sites will introduce charges for non-household waste items such as bags of rubble, kitchen units and fence panels to “brings Bucks in line with other authorities that charge for items that legally do not have to be taken for free.”

Cabinet member for planning at BCC, Bill Chapple, said he “deeply regrets” having to cut the service however “there really was no alternative”.

He said: “Our household recycling centres consistently receive some of the highest customer satisfaction ratings of all council services, so we were determined to keep the changes to an absolute minimum while still achieving the necessary savings.

"Since the cabinet decisions were made, we have been busy preparing to implement the changes in time for April 1.

“This is a service that most people use at some time, and I want to ensure as little disruption as possible. Even so, I know that some of the changes will take a while to get used to, and we really value your support and understanding during the transition period.

"I'm committed to ensuring that the overall service continues to meet the evolving needs of Buckinghamshire's population, and that we can continue to improve on the impressive recycling rates we already achieve."

More details can be found online at www.buckscc.gov.uk/HRC