REDUCED opening hours at Powys council’s household waste and recycling centres will come into effect next week.

From Monday, April 3 the five centres in Brecon, Lower Cwmtwrch, Llandegley, Newtown and Welshpool will be closed for up to four days a week - however everyday from Monday to Sunday at least one of the five centres will be open. Opening hours are also being reduced.

The changes are part of a money saving drive and were adopted to keep all five centres open for the next year after the council consulted on closing some centres.

The council will also enforce restrictions on the type of vehicles that will be allowed to drop off items, including a ban on rental vans.

Trade waste recycling permits for small traders will also increase from £150 to £200.

Nigel Brinn, the council’s head of highways, transport and recycling, said: "The service changes are necessary to achieve the savings targets that have been set for the next financial year.

“Although the opening days of the household waste and recycling centres are being reduced, they have been arranged so that there will always be a site open somewhere in the county every day of the week.

"The two sites in the south of the county will be open on different days to each other and this will be the same for the sites in the north. The site in mid Powys will be open on the day when all the other sites are closed.

"The centres are designed to take household material for recycling or disposal that is not collected from the kerbside. Unfortunately, the sites have been used by traders getting rid of their commercial waste and by householders getting rid of large quantities of waste when they should be making alternative arrangements such as hiring a skip.

"In order to fully achieve the savings target that have been set we need to restrict certain vehicles including commercial vehicles from accessing the sites."

From Monday opening days and times for the centres will be:

• Brecon: Monday and Tuesday (9am-5pm); Sundays (9am-4pm)

• Llandegley: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturdays (10am-4pm)

• Newtown: Tuesday and Thursdays (9am-5pm); Sundays (9am-4pm)

• Welshpool: Monday and Fridays (9am-5pm); Saturdays (9am-4pm)

• Lower Cwmtwrch, Ystradgynlais: Thursday and Fridays (9am-5pm); Saturdays (9am-4pm)

Vehicles that will be allowed at the centres include:

• All cars, sport utility vehicle (SUVs) and people carriers (with rear seats and windows)

• Camper vans and Land Rovers (with rear seats and windows)

• Pick-up trucks / double cab vehicles with sliding cover / fibre glass back

• Single axle trailers towed by any of the above.

Vehicles that will not be allowed at the centre include:

• Pick-up trucks / double cab vehicles with open or a metal back

• All vans (including hire vans)

• Agricultural vehicles

• Sign-written vehicles

• Any trailer that is not single axle (regardless of what it is towed by).