CONTROVERSIAL recycling centre charges by Surrey County Council have come under fresh scrutiny, after the Government’s new ‘litter strategy’ included a call for councils to stop charging people for the disposal of DIY household waste.

Last September, Surrey introduced new charges - dubbed the ‘Tory tip tax’ by opposition councillors - for disposing of ‘non-household’ waste at recycling centres across the county, ranging from £4 for a 50cm x 77cm bag of building waste such as bricks, rubble and plasterboard to £5 per tyre or £50 for a car load of ‘loose materials’.

But the new Litter Strategy for England, published by the Department for Communities and Local Government, clearly states: “The Government’s view is clear: DIY waste is classed as household waste if it results from work a householder would normally carry out.”

Responding, the council has vowed to “carefully study the new national guidance when it’s issued”.

A council spokesman added: “We brought in charging for some construction waste in line with the law, as have many other councils, because of the severe financial pressure we’re facing from rising demand for services and falling government funding.

“We launched a concerted drive last year to tackle fly-tipping – which was already a problem – and the amount of fly-tipped rubbish collected by Surrey’s councils has fallen by 1,000 tonnes over the past year.”

But this contrasts with figures obtained by The Herald under the Freedom of Information Act, which revealed a 40 per cent rise in fly-tipping across Waverley borough between last September – when Surrey introduced the charges – and November, compared to the same period 12 months earlier.

• First off the blocks to ditch the swingeing fees is West Sussex County Council . which has said it would suspend all charges for disposing of DIY materials generated by householders at its local civic amenity sites immediately, until the Government’s review into the matter had been concluded.

In a statement WSCC chief executive Nathan Elvery, the council said the move followed a decision by the Government to review the charges it brought in to charge householders for their DIY rubbish.

He said: “Householders visiting any West Sussex amenity site will no longer be charged for the deposit of material which results from the sort of work householders would normally carry out on their homes – what most people would refer to as DIY waste.

“Once the Government’s review has been concluded the county council will look at the matter again.”

Charges for tyres at household waste recycling sites remain in place.

Hampshire County Council recently opened up household waste recycling centres to small and medium-sized enterprises for the first time.