Conservative MP Helen Whately could be dumped out of parliament over plans to shut her local tip, opposition figures claim.

Tory-led Kent County Council (KCC), which runs recycling centres, has proposed four closures to find £86m in savings in the face of budget squeezes and rising costs.

But Liberal Democrat group leader at KCC, Cllr Antony Hook, says the proposal to close the Faversham site could end Mrs Whately's political career.

Social care minister Mrs Whately, MP for Faversham and Mid-Kent since 2015, has been a vocal opponent of the plan by party colleagues at County Hall.

Cllr Hook said: "People are so angry about this. Helen Whately is against something that her own party is proposing.

"When the general election comes round next year, this will be the number one issue in this part of her constituency.

"KCC's decision to shut Faversham could lose her the seat."

Oxford-educated Mrs Whately enjoys a near 22,000 majority but the prediction website Electoral Calculus says that could slump to under 2,000 at the next election based on polls, boundary changes and trends.

At the last general election, Labour came second and the Lib Dems third in Faversham and Mid-Kent.

The Green Party, who finished fourth, scents an opportunity to increase its vote share.

Green Swale East member Richard Lehmann at KCC said: "The closure of the tip would be a disaster for Faversham.

"We have so many people across the town that use that facility who will now have to go to Canterbury or Sittingbourne to get rid of their household waste, meaning more journeys through congested town centres, particularly at weekends, more expense to residents in terms of fuel, and probably more fly-tipping too."

He suggested shutting all tips "a couple of days a week".

Asked if Mrs Whately's electoral prospects are damaged by the tip issue, Cllr Lehmann said: "Well, they won't be helped."

The KCC closure consultation, meant to start in late July or early August, into the possible closure of four of six recycling centres has been put on hold.

Officials said they need more time to feed "wider information" into the papers.

The tips under threat are Faversham, Tovil (Maidstone), Deal, Richborough, Dartford and Swanley.

The Faversham closure has caused a massive backlash, including opposition from Mrs Whately.

She wrote on her website: "I know that times are tough, and KCC have got to make sure public finances add up.

"But Faversham doesn't want to lose its tip. We're a growing town and it's a service people rely on - and I think we should have a chance to make that case in the consultation."

A spokesman for Mrs Whately declined to comment.