A waste collection group fears fly-tipping will continue after a local council introduced new rules at its recycling centre.

Peterborough City Council has appointed new government legislation at its Fengate site, meaning people no longer have to pay to dispose of small DIY waste.

However, only two 50 liter bags of waste or two large items can be brought onto the site per visit – with only four visits allowed over four weeks.

Harry Machin, founder of Peterborough Litter Wombles, said it should be “easier” for people to recycle. The municipality said it did not envisage an increase in fly-tipping, adding that it was “up to residents to dispose of their waste correctly and legally”.

Mr Machin launched the volunteer group in 2021. So far this year the group has collected more than 4,000 bags of rubbish and an equal amount of larger waste.

“As volunteer litter pickers, we regularly find these and other excluded items discarded in the undergrowth all over Peterborough,” Mr Machin said.

“The more difficult they make it, the more spills there will be.

“There aren’t enough deterrents. They can get rid of it without any consequences to them.

“They should make it easier to dispose of waste and encourage people to bring it to the center, rather than making it more difficult for them.”

A Peterborough City Council spokesperson said: “We are not considering an increase in fly-tipping.

“We know that survey results indicate that small traders are advertising cheaper permits than regulated businesses, leading to waste being handed over to unregistered waste haulers who could dispose of it illegally.

“It is up to residents to dispose of their waste correctly and legally.”