A COUNCILLOR is calling for tips to open - after a government minister said household waste recycling centres should be reopened urgently.

City of York Council closed tips in response to the coronavirus outbreak - as well as pausing green bin rounds and bulky waste collections.

But North Yorkshire Fire Service say there has been an increase in callouts to bonfires - which could be linked to people burning rubbish.

Cllr Kallum Taylor is now calling for the tips to be reopened.

But during a live council question and answer session on Facebook on Tuesday evening, Cllr Paula Widdowson said tips in York will not reopen yet -because residents could be fined by the police if the trip is classed as non-essential travel.

Cllr Taylor said he has written to police, fire and crime commissioner Julia Mulligan and Cllr Widdowson.

He said: “We know the council could open the tips but it understandably won’t if the police are going to fine residents for going.

"There’s got to be a safe and manageable way through here.

“The knock-on effects of classing trips to the tips as non-essential are a backlog of waste in people’s homes along with increases in fly-tipping and nuisance bonfires which, considering the stage we are now at in the lockdown, should be clear enough to force a re-think."

He suggested putting social-distancing measures in place at the tip, as well as a booking system.

Ms Mulligan has already raised concerns about an increase in bonfires and said reopening tips should be looked at.

At a meeting last week she said: “I know there are some concerns around it not being essential journeys, but if there are knock-on consequences that haven't necessarily been anticipated then we need to understand the extent of those.”

On Tuesday local government secretary Robert Jenrick said he is asking councils to reopen household waste recycling centres as a priority.

Darlington’s Household Waste Recycling Centre reopened on Tuesday - with cars queuing outside.