BOROUGH chiefs are being accused of unfairly targeting residents after a man who moved home has been spotted visiting Winsford household waste centre ‘too often’.

Neil McMaster moved from Kingsmead to Gorstage in May, and has since visited his nearest tip in Winsford eight times to clear waste – including cardboard boxes from new furniture.

After his initial visits to the site, staff began to question the reasons for each tip trip.

And Neil believes the recording equipment and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) system being used by Cheshire West and Chester Council means he has been treated unfairly.

He told the Guardian: “I think I must have triggered the ANPR as a ‘regular’ visitor or been picked up on the body cams, and now I have to fill in an A4 form whenever I go – it’s a real pain.

“I’m a council tax payer, I live in the area, and the council is making it harder for me to go to the tip as they seem to think I’ve been there too often.

“It really makes you wonder why they are recording people, and it could put people off going.

“We know fly-tipping is becoming more and more of a problem – and CWAC doesn’t seem to be helping with these rules.”

Body cams and ANPR have been used at CWAC household waste sites since April.

In 2015-16, CWAC spent £365,798 on fly-tipping, and Neil believes both residents and workers could add to that amount if the rules at household waste centres put them off going to the tip.

But Cllr Karen Shore, CWAC cabinet member for environment, told the Guardian that the recording equipment was not designed to deter residents for clearing their household waste.

She said: “Residents who frequently use the household waste recycling centres and those who are suspected of attempting to deposit non-household waste are required to complete a waste declaration form to confirm the origin of the waste entering the site.

“The council and its representatives are legally required to control all waste entering each site and therefore reserve the right to request that any user complete a waste declaration form prior to using the site regardless of their visiting frequency.

“The household waste recycling centres are provided for and funded by residents of the borough, the scheme has been introduced not to deter residents from attending the site but to control the waste entering them.

“Household waste recycling centres are not licensed to accept business waste. Businesses therefore need to make their own arrangements for the collection of their waste and recycling.”