KNUTSFORD Household Waste Recycling Centre has come under fire from town councillor Peter Coan.

Cllr Coan told members of the council at Monday’s meeting that the centre in Mobberley Road, Shaw Heath, ‘is absolutely not fit for purpose’.

“It is particularly difficult to use with the kerbs between the skips, which make accessibility almost impossible,” Cllr Coan told the meeting of the full council.

He added that another concern was the fact that the skips for putting items in required members of the public to lift things up to above chest height to ‘heave’ them into the skips.

“That is not conducive to good health, compared with other recycling centres that are a lot more user-friendly,” he said.

“I also believe that the Knutsford recycling centre should be expanded to provide more and better services, perhaps into the partially-used lorry park next door.

“There are a lot of things that stick out from these skips that are a snag hazard for anybody trying to shuffle along these narrow gangways.

“It is time that the recycling centre was looked at to see whether or not it is fit for purpose and safe to use.”

The recycling centre at Shaw Heath is operated by Cheshire East Council, and is open seven days a week, currently between 8.30am and 5pm.

A Cheshire East Council spokesperson said: “We are sorry to hear that Councillor Coan has raised these concerns about the Knutsford household waste recycling centre.

“All our recycling centres conform to health and safety regulations and our contractors seek to ensure that they are managed in a safe way for the benefit of our residents and site staff, who will assist members of the public in need of help.

“Following a review of our recycling centres last year, the council is investing up to £1m to carry out planned improvements, which we intend will further enhance the convenience and experience of residents using the centres.”

A Cheshire East Council spokesman said: “We are sorry to hear that Councillor Coan has raised these concerns about the Knutsford household waste recycling centre.

“All our recycling centres conform to health and safety regulations, and our contractors seek to ensure they are managed in a safe way for the benefit of our residents and site staff, who will assist members of the public in need of help.

“Following a review of our recycling centres last year, the council is investing up to £1 million to carry out planned improvements, which we intend will further enhance the convenience and experience of residents using the centres.”