The boss of the company which manages tips in Medway has warned charging people from outside the area to use its recycling centres will cause extra queues into their sites.

Andrew Mann, the managing director of Medway Norse, said such a move is likely to have a knock-on effect for local residents.

It comes as Kent County Council prepares to introduce charges at its household waste recycling centres for anyone disposing of soil, rubble and plasterboard.

It has raised concerns many non-Medway residents will travel to the Towns' tips to avoid paying the fee.

As a result, Medway Council officers are working on a strategy to tackle any possible influx of people trying to dodge the proposed KCC charges.

Speaking last night, Mr Mann said: “The decision on the charging is not sitting with us, we’re talking purely about the operational implications rather than necessarily the financial aspects for us.

“Whilst we can configure the site in whatever way you like, it will impact on the queues and that will put pressure also on our staff.

"We have raised concerns, but the conversations are ongoing and nothing has been decided.”

Medway Council is trying to protect itself from seeing a similar increase in people visiting its centres when a fire closed Kent County Council’s Pepperhill waste and recycling centre in Southfleet for nearly four months in 2018.

Speaking last month, leader Cllr Alan Jarrett (Con) said: “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.”