WARNINGS that incidents of fly-tipping could shoot up were this week issued, in the light of proposals to cut hours at council tips.

Cash-strapped Devon County Council is aiming to save more than £1.2m next year in the way it manages its waste and recycling services — although the council will be consulting with the public over its proposals before a final decision is made.

The potential savings, say the council, are part of a wider plan to reduce the council's budget by more than £100m over the next three years to meet the latest Government spending targets.

In addition to renegotiating and re-tendering existing waste management contracts, a series of measures are being proposed for 2014/15. These include a reduction in the opening hours at household waste recycling centres by one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening during the summer.

In the winter, the proposal would see the sites open one hour later in the morning. Weekend hours would remain unaffected and the majority of sites would still open seven days a week.

The council's waste and recycling centre at Crowndale, Tavistock, is operated by contractor Sita, and is open to the public all year except for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

Workers there are worried that the proposals cuts in hours will both hit both the public as well as effect the wages of the team of four who work there.

James Hardman, the team leader at the centre, said it could take years for the public to adapt to the new hours.

Mr Hardman said: 'Many people work from nine to five and bring their rubbish at times that suit them before they go off to work.

'If people arrive at 8am and find the place closed, they will either dump it at the gates, go around the corner and dump it or leave it on the moors.

'It will be from people who have respectable jobs who don't then have the time to dispose of their waste properly.'

The proposals come at a time when the team at Crowndale is hitting above its targets for recycling — its target is to recycle 75% of the waste it receives, but this year the team has been running at above 80%.

Crowndale sends just over four tonnes of waste to landfill per day which cannot be recycled.

It deals with eight tonnes of green waste every second day; two and a half tonnes of mixed plastics weekly and a similar weight of cardboard every three days.

Mr Hardman said: 'Cutting our hours will have a massive effect on the guys. We just about make a living at the moment but with less hours its going to make a big difference to our pay and make it very difficult.

'We all have families. If the council make the cuts it will be a shame but it's not something we have control over.

'We will still be here but it makes our job a little less worthwhile and might have an effect on staff morale.'

The proposed changes could also hit local charities, who have traditionally registered with the council and have been allowed to dispose of household waste free of charge.

This is not a statutory responsibility and the council proposes to apply a threshold of 10 tonnes per year, above which the charities would have to pay for disposal.

In addition, changes to regulations mean that whereas in the past, waste from some private institutions and businesses was paid for the by the tax payer, the council will now be able to levy a charge.

This includes educational establishments, although some exemptions apply such as hospitals, prisons, club societies, self catering accommodation and campsites as well as non -household waste from charities.

Roger Croad, the county's cabinet member for community and environmental services, said: 'Making decisions about possible reductions to services are never easy, but we have looked very closely at how we can use our resources most effectively while also saving money.

'The recycling centres tend to be relatively quiet during the times proposed for reduced hours, and the 17 sites would still operate seven days a week.

'Over the last few years, changes within the way we manage our waste in Devon have meant we've made around £3.5 million worth of savings over the last two years.

'However, further work is still needed.

'While we still continue to accept waste from charities, we feel that a 10 tonne limit is a fair compromise and it may prompt them to re-think how they manage their waste and look at other ways to reduce or recycle it.

'I would encourage people to come forward with their opinions on this important issue and get involved with the consultation.'

The council say no final decision on these proposals or how best to achieve any 2014/15 budget saving will be made until February.

Comments on the proposals and how they might impact on people can be made at http://www.devon.gov.uk/wastebudget">www.devon.gov.uk/wastebudget or in writing to Waste Management, Devon County Council, County Hall, Exeter EX2 4QD.