IRATE people unable to dump their waste at Poole's household recycling centre have been turning their frustrations on staff.

Turned away from the Nuffield Road centre as councils crack down on non-residents trying to dump their rubbish, some are resorting to insult and assault.

"Staff are getting beaten up and having vans driven up to them," said Cllr Don Collier, portfolio holder for the environment.

After sitting in a lengthy queue to get to the gate, tempers have boiled over when people are then turned away because they don't live in the borough.

The Daily Echo has already reported a backlash of violence against staff at Millhams tip in Bournemouth, when that council brought in new restrictions at the beginning of the month.

This restricted entry to the tip at Longham to ID-carrying Bournemouth residents and a stop was put to vans using the site, in a bid to crack down on commercial waste being dumped free of charge.

Staff there had received threats of violence from people unhappy at being turned away, it was claimed.

Cllr Collier said abuse was the exception rather than the rule but a member of staff at the centre had his uniform epaulets ripped off.

"We condemn the minority of people who get aggressive about it," he said.

And he warned that CCTV cameras covered the area and the council would not hesitate to prosecute if necessary.

The Daily Echo has called on the councils to clean up their acts and end the chaos at Dorset's waste sites.

But in a reply to a question from Cllr Mike Brooke, Cllr Collier said: "Regrettably there are no plans to open the site to people who are not residents of Poole.

"Despite the environmental benefits, the challenges posed by government and audit legislation and the lack of response by our neighbouring authority have made this impossible."

First published: Sept 25