Medway Council has reaffirmed its intention to charge non-residents to use its waste centres if fees are introduced elsewhere in the county.

People living outside of the Towns could be forced to pay to dispose of soil, rubble and plasterboard at Kent County Council (KCC) sites if proposals are approved – something which critics suggest will lead to an increase in fly-tipping.

But council leader Cllr Alan Jarrett (Con) is also concerned it will lead to more people using Medway’s facilities to avoid the charges, with officers currently working on a strategy to tackle any potential influx.

Speaking on January 15, he said: “We have to be aware, as a unitary authority, of external factors that might arise from the other top-tier council in Kent and prepare for any eventuality.

“We are actively considering how we might respond to KCC if they introduce charging for because undoubtedly people will seek to avoid those charges.

“This administration has no intention whatsoever of charging for our residents to go to civic amenity sites, but we are actively looking at how we differentiate between Medway non-Medway residents when they visit our sites.

“Our residents, under this administration, can deliver their waste to our civic amenity sites at no cost, but that privilege certainly won’t apply to people who don’t live in Medway if there’s an impact from what KCC might do.”

A fire which closed KCC’s Pepperhill waste and recycling centre in Southfleet for nearly four months led to a 14% increase in people visiting Medway’s facilities between April and August 2018.

Cllr Jarrett added the additional cost to the local authority in that period was "quite significant".