Sheffield drivers will now face up to £70 fines for queuing at recycling centres

The fines, which go up to £70, are to be put in place to “protect all road users from the dangers associated with unsafe queueing traffic” at the city’s five recycling centres.

The centres affected are Longley Avenue West, Shirecliffe; Beighton Road, Woodhouse; Blackstock Road, Gleadless; Manchester Road, Deepcar; and Greaves Lane, High Green.

A spokesperson for Sheffield City Council said: “We’re incredibly proud that we’ve been able to keep our five Household Waste Recycling Centres open across Sheffield during the Covid-19 pandemic. “However, in doing so, we’ve had to put in place measures to protect the safety of the public and our workforce by limiting the number of people using the sites to maintain social distancing.

“The large numbers of people trying to access the sites has resulted in significant traffic queues, with drivers often refusing to move on despite being asked to do so by site staff. It is not acceptable for vehicles to queue outside the sites as this may cause potential danger for other road users trying to pass.”

Traffic Regulation Orders have initially been introduced to the three sites most affected by unsafe queuing: Beighton Road, Blackstock Road and Longley Avenue West.

Vehicles will initially be asked to move on by site staff, and only those drivers who fail to adhere to the instructions given will be issued with a Penalty Charge Notice.