Residents fed up by ‘nightmare’ queues at Littlehampton tip

Sam Cosham, an NHS worker who lives on the other side of the Mill Lane tip, in Toddington Lane, said a number of roads in the area were being ‘clogged up’ as a result.

As a key worker, the 29-year-old is continuing to travel to work amid the lockdown and said: “The last thing I want to do after a day’s work is to sit for an hour in the traffic.

“It’s just an absolute nightmare.

“The whole estate is fed up.”

The traffic been an issue for six to eight weeks, he said, adding: “Since it’s been sunny, it’s gone really mad. I imagine people are in the garden.”

He believes it is a potentially dangerous situation.

“My main concern as a resident is you’ve got people driving toward oncoming traffic to skip that bit of the road,” he said.

“It’s not going to be long until someone comes round that corner and there’s a head on collision.”

Mr Cosham said he had rang the council about the issue but had been told it was a police matter.

But the police had subsequently told him it was the council’s responsibility.

“You’re getting pushed from pillar to post,” he said.

West Sussex County Council recently announced it was set to trial a booking system at the tip in Littlehampton, as well as other sites in Bognor Regis, Crawley, Horsham and Shoreham, from mid-March.

It said covid precautions and the need to maintain social distancing had reduced the number of visitors to the tip at any one time, which had led to ‘significant congestion and queuing’ at certain sites.

Booking was expected to be up and running in the week commencing March 15, but the system will not go live until March 29 – read more here.

Mr Cosham said he welcomed the idea if it would have an impact on the traffic, but said it needed to be implemented sooner.

A spokesperson for West Sussex County Council said: “The number of residents visiting our Household Waste Recycling Sites (HWRSs) has remained high since the beginning of the year.

“We have seen a further increase in visitor numbers following the recent dry weather, with residents starting their typical spring activities such as gardening and clear-outs approximately a month earlier than we would normally expect, and also as a result of residents being at home and undertaking home improvements.

“We have issued social media posts and email bulletins to remind residents that they should currently only visit a HWRS if it is essential and if their waste poses a potential risk of injury or harm to health.

“Where possible, we are asking residents to make full use of their kerbside collections, and store waste that does not pose a risk. Our communications have also been shared by Sussex Police on some of their channels.

“We are reviewing the situation at the HWRSs on a daily basis, and are considering all options available to us to reduce the impact on local residents, businesses and the highway network.”