Residents in Southend are voicing growing frustration over long queues and “traffic chaos” at Leigh Marshes Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC), following a major site overhaul by new contractors SUEZ.
Since reopening on Saturday 12 April, the Leigh tip has seen heavy congestion at peak times, particularly on sunny weekends. Locals say they believe the changes to the layout and operation of the site have contributed to excessive queues of vehicles waiting to enter the site.
Queues are regularly backing up as far as Leigh-on-Sea station, with some drivers reporting waits of over 30 minutes just to access the site.
Christine Harvey, a local resident, said: “What have they done to Leigh tip? In the nine years I’ve lived here I have never had more than a 10-minute wait. Now there are queues all the way back to the station – over 30 minutes just to get in. There have been several near misses with cars pulling out that want to go to Two Tree Island.”
Karen Mason added: “I was wanting to go to the driving range at Two Tree Island but had to sit in the tip queue from the station! Utterly ridiculous. In the end I chanced it and overtook the queue, rather than sit in it for an hour when I didn’t even want the tip!”
Local councillor for Belfairs ward, Stephen Aylen, confirmed the volume of complaints is rising.
“The number of complaints about Leigh tip that I’ve received is going up and up – mostly about the wait time to get into the centre. But a greater concern is the layout and safety. I have requested a safety report from the council,” he said.
While some residents are calling for changes, others say the experience depends on timing.
Andy Le Marie said: “I went to Leigh on Saturday morning – it was perfect, no waiting, and the staff were very helpful. It’s always pot luck when you go.”
Mark Lewsey added: “I visited Leigh tip yesterday and wasn’t aware of the new layout until I arrived. I have to say I found it really good with loads of space now. One of the guys even helped me unload, which was most kind.”
But others remain concerned about wider safety issues and access problems caused by congestion.
Paul Miller said: “It’s a disaster in so many ways. Besides the danger of cars wanting to overtake on a blind bend, dog walkers can’t access the public spaces, golfers and walkers can’t get to the Range or café, parents and children struggle to use the skatepark, and the car park for Leigh station is sometimes blocked. With the shoreside car park earmarked for plant and storage for the Leigh Port development, there’ll be even more issues.”
Reduced capacity at Southend’s Stock Road tip
Southend’s Stock Road tip is undergoing several weeks of maintenance from Monday 12 May and will have reduced capacity for cars unloading during the works. Therefore, the Leigh Marshes tip may become even busier.
In a notice, Southend City Council said:
“We apologise for any inconvenience caused during this period. Stock Road will remain open but there will be reduced accessible space on-site, which may cause queuing and delays.”
The Southend Stock Road tip will open an hour earlier on weekdays from 8am Monday to Friday. It will still be closed on Thursdays.
The council also reminded residents that Leigh Marshes tip is open as an alternative (apart from being closed on Wednesdays).
As public frustration mounts, pressure is growing on SUEZ and Southend City Council to review the site layout and traffic management around the Leigh Marshes tip.