ELECTION rivals have clashed over a decision to cut the opening hours at Chard’s new household waste recycle centre.

Cllr Garry Shortland, who will be hoping to gain a seat on South Somerset District Council in the Holyrood ward at the election on May 5 for the Liberal Democrats, said he found it “shocking” that the centre in Beeching Close, which only opened last year at a cost of £1.2m, was now closed on Tuesdays and Wednes-days along with early Sunday closing at 1pm.

But his Conservative opponent at the May 5 election, Brennie Halse, has blamed the new opening hours on the previous LibDem administration at County Hall.

“When the Conservatives gained overall power of Somerset County Council last year they found the LibDems had run up huge debts,” she said.

“Facing up to this debt hits the overall budget hard and, unfortunately, the opening hours of the waste site is just one of the casualties of the LibDems’ reckless spending spree.”

But Cllr Shortland, who will be also be hoping to retain his Chard Town Council seat on May 5, added: “Not only will the centre be completely closed on a Sunday afternoon all-year round when most people do their gardening but it will also be closed completely on a Tuesday and Wed-nesday.”

Similar changes have taken place at recycling centres across Somerset, while people now have to pay to use Crewkerne which the changes that came into effect last week.

A spokesman for the Somerset Waste Partnership has said ‘alternative options’ are available for people such as roadside collections.

The SWP implemented the opening hours at the centres due to funding cutbacks at Somerset County Council.