Hazel Court- York council Click Before You Tip latest

City of York Council data showed 195 out of more than 1,000 slots made available for traders in the four weeks since bookings went live were missed.

About nine tenths residents who booked one of the more than 12,000 10-minute slots available for them turned up for their appointments from Monday, March 2 to Sunday, March 29.

A spokesperson for Yorwaste, which runs the site on behalf of the council, said Towthorpe had not been any busier than usual since the new system was launched.

They added they had not experienced any unusual increases in traffic since the Click Before You Tip system launched at Hazel Court.

It follows the launch of the new booking system for Hazel Court on Monday, February 23 a week before time slots came into effect.

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It also comes as residents are encouraged to ensure they have booked a slot if they are planning on using the tip over the Easter bank holiday.

Households are currently limited to four 10-minute slots a week while businesses can book up to two 15-minute slots a day.

Cllr Jenny Kent, the council’s Labour environment spokesperson, said at the time the system was a sensible solution to tackle congestion and queues and improve air quality in the area.

A report ahead of the council’s executive’s approval of the new system in September stated residents had raised safety concerns over drivers attempting dangerous manoeuvres in the road.

Businesses based in and around Hazel Court have also claimed congestion caused by queues for the tip was making it harder for their customers to reach them.

But the council’s Liberal Democrat opposition raised concerns about the plans at the time, saying they followed a decision to close the site on Wednesdays and could cause more fly-tipping.

Rubbish removal business Waste Warriors told The Press the new system had resulted in them having to turn down jobs due to limits on trips to the tip.

Traffic blocking the road as drivers queue to turn into Hazel Court Recycling Centre (Image: Newsquest)

Feedback from Yorwaste suggested the day-to-day operations at the site remained stable since bookings launched.

Around 70 per cent of the more than 12,000 slots made available to residents have been booked, rising to 80 per cent in the last full week of March.

The council stated the system was being widely-used and well-adopted by residents and activity at the site was broadly in line with seasonal expectations.

But it added missed trader appointments were causing issues because they reduce availability and cannot be easily given to someone else at such short notice.

People are required to bring their booking confirmation with them to show to tip staff on arrival.

Slots can be booked online or over the phone up to two weeks in advance.

The Towthorpe site, in Moor Lane, remains available to use without having to book beforehand.