EMPLOYEES working at a busy Basingstoke business park claim the new opening hours of the tip have caused traffic congestion.

Hampshire County Council announced a reduction in the opening hours at the Household Waste Recycling Centre, in Wade Road, in a bid to save the local authority more than £150,000.

The changes, which came into force on April 1, mean that the busy centre is now open between 9am and 6pm from April 1 to September 30 compared to 8am to 7pm previously.

Between October 1 and February 28, it will open between 9am and 4pm and from March 1 to March 31 it will open from 9am to 5pm.

The decision came after the local authority carried out a public consultation and analysis of the 24 recycling centres it runs last summer which found that peak times for all centres were mid-morning and early afternoon.

But people working in nearby offices have hit out at the changes.

Father-of-one Adam Tropman, an accountant at Berendsen, in Intec Business Park, Wade Road, told The Gazette: “This past week has been an absolute nightmare and it has taken an extra 20 minutes to get into work. The traffic has been queuing onto Faraday Road.

“It is all because they changed the opening hours to 9am. There is bound to be an accident because you have got people going over the other side of the road and it could be a real danger.”

Helen Wakelen, a 49-year-old mother-of-two who works at Sematron, in Aviary Court, added: “Not only was I trying to get to work last week but I had a boot load of stuff to take to the tip.

“I have been coming in and there have been people queuing at quarter past eight not realising that it doesn’t open until nine.

“The whole office is frustrated and it is like it every morning and lunchtime – you are stuck behind traffic.”

Councillor Seán Woodward, executive member for economy, transport and environment, said that the county council had notified residents about the changes and advised customers not to queue outside the Wade Road facility, but to “return when the site is open”.

He added: “If there is a need to queue we would remind people that they need to do so safely and responsibly, adhering to the highway code and not put themselves or any other road users in danger.

“We will continue to work with our contractors to identify and resolve local issues to ensure everyone that wants to use one of our sites can do so safely.”

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