The removal of the recycling site in Penrith on land owned by Morrison’s and had allowed the council to locate one of its household recycling bring sites in a corner of the car park.
Westmorland and Furness Council earlier this month said “The request to remove the bring site” by Morrisons was made following “a number of fly-tipping incidents at the site when items including old beds, mattresses and furniture were illegally dumped.”
A spokesperson for Westmorland and Furness Council said: “It is very unfortunate that the irresponsible actions of these fly-tippers has led to this decision to request we remove the bring site.”
However Morrisons has told Penrith.Town flytipping was not the only reason for the request for the council to remove the recycling site from its car park. An issue of the recycling bins not being emptied in a timely manner by the council also contributed to the decision by a Morrisons to request the removal.
Calls for CCTV to be installed at all the council operated recycling sites in the town had previously been made by town councillors in 2022 with concerns that sites could be closed if action was not taken to stop the fly tipping that made national headlines in 2022 due to the amount of fly tipping at two of the town’s recycling sites.
Penrith Town Council had until 2023 had responsibility for managing the Morrisons car park recycling site but terminated the arrangement in 2023 handing back control to the former Eden Council to manage the site with the responsibility passing to Westmorland and Furness council when it replaced Eden a council in April 2023.
A spokes person for Wm Morrison Supermarkets Limited said “We have been working with the Council for over a year to try and find a resolution as the fly tipping is creating a potentially hazardous situation for our customers.”
“Unfortunately, the recycling bins and discarded rubbish are not emptied in a timely manner meaning that customers are passing through that area while our store is open.”
“Our colleagues are having to spend a lot of time cleaning and tidying up the area to ensure it is safe and not attracting pests and so we have taken the decision to have the recycling bins removed entirely."
Westmorland and Furness Council have been asked for comment on the claims made by Morrisons about the failure to empty recycling in a timely manner and failed attempts by the firm to find a resolution with the council for over a year.
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