PEOPLE planning a visit to the tip in Wiltshire will no longer have to book an appointment when the Government confirms the lifting of final Covid restrictions.

Wiltshire Council is preparing to stop taking bookings a week beforehand if the social distancing rules are eased on July 19.

Cabinet member for waste Dr Mark McClelland said: “The HRC online booking system was always intended to be a temporary measure, so we could manage the number of people on site at any one time to ensure effective social distancing to keep staff and residents safe.

“We have listened to residents who have shared their concerns about the booking system, and coinciding with the further lifting of national COVID restrictions, we’ve decided to remove it. In the next month, so long as Government restrictions are eased and public health guidance allows, people will be able to attend their chosen site at a time of their choosing without needing to book a slot online.

“In order to ensure a smooth transition, and so long as the Government confirms that social distancing will be ended nationally, on 12 July the online booking system will stop taking new bookings, and on 19 July, visits without a booking will resume.

“If the Government decides not to end all restrictions on this date, the dates for returning HRCs to non-booked visits will also change, and we will update with more information on this as soon as we are able to provide confirmation.

“It’s possible that the updated public health guidance may still require some restrictions to HRC operations to keep everyone safe, and we will also confirm this closer to the time.

“I’d like to thank the public for their understanding during these challenging times, and as lockdown continues to be eased and restrictions are lifted, we can now look forward to making it easier for people to visit our HRCs.”

There are ten HRCs in Wiltshire, including at Purton and Stanton St Quintin. Each site has different opening times and some can take different types of waste, so people are advised to check opening times and what they can take to their local HRC before setting off. There may be queuing at peak times.