Two recycling centres in Bath and North East Somerset are staying closed for now as it would be "unsafe" for residents and staff to re-open.

Bath and North East Somerset Council reopened its recycling centre in Keynsham this week, with strict social distancing rules in place, and there was a three-hour wait to get in.

However, the council said the centres at Midland Road in Bath and Old Welton in Midsomer Norton have not re-opened as social distancing measures cannot be maintained there.

Council leader Dine Romero said there were issues with these "small" sites and councillors will assess the situation going forward.

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“There are some issues with Welton and Midland Road because they are both small sites," she said.

“They aren’t drive-through, they’re cul-de-sacs. It would be difficult to maintain social distancing. It would be quite unsafe for residents and our staff.

“It’s something we will continue to look at as and when it’s safe to do so.

“We’re saying to everybody to keep any waste they can’t recycle at the kerbside at home.

“We fully understand that for some people that’s not possible.”

She added: “Some of it will depend on need and the response to reopening the Keynsham site."

For Keynsham, journeys to the centre must only be taken if people are “unable to keep their waste and recycling at home without causing a risk to their health,” the council has stressed.

People hoping to visit the site in the coming days are asked to bring proof of address and are reminded it is only open for essential visits.

Bath residents will be able to visit on certain days depending on their number plate and only four cars are able to unload at a time.

The site is running an odd and even number plate entry system as defined by the last digit.

A notice on the Keynsham centre's website reads: "Please only visit this recycling centre if you really need to, otherwise store your rubbish and recycling at home if it's safe to do so, until social distancing has been relaxed.

"If storing too much rubbish or recycling at home may cause injury, illness or harm, you can bring it to the recycling centre.

"Make use of your kerbside collections as much as possible, and only bring recyclable items that are not collected as part of the weekly kerbside collection."