A new and improved recycling centre is set to open its doors in Bury St Edmunds.

The flagship site in Fornham Road will open on Thursday, January 16 and replace the current recycling centre at Rougham Hill, Bury St Edmunds.

It will be part of the West Suffolk Operational Hub, a project by West Suffolk Council and Suffolk County Council to manage waste by relocating a number of facilities to a single site.

Fornham Road will be the first open air site in Suffolk where all containers can be accessed by the public from ground level, removing the need for steps.

Visitors will be able to recycle the same wide range of materials currently available at the Rougham Hill recycling centre.

A charity Reuse shop will also be opening on site.

Paul West, cabinet member for waste at Suffolk County Council, said: "This new flagship site will be a significant asset to people in west Suffolk.

"It is purpose-built to enable the growing communities of west Suffolk to recycle and reuse their rubbish safely and efficiently and as all the containers are now on one level, there are no steps to contend with.

"It is also a safer site with lorries emptying containers in a totally separate area."

Suffolk's Recycling Centres are operated by FCC Environment on behalf of Suffolk County Council.

All the staff from Rougham Hill will be transferred to the new site.

Steve Longdon, regional director at FCC, said: "We are very excited to be moving to the new recycling centre at Fornham Road.

"The site will enable residents to recycle the same wide range of materials as they currently can but with less queuing."

The existing site at Rougham Hill will close its gates on Tuesday, January 14.

Householders are being warned that no waste or recycling should be left by the gates or in the vicinity of the old site.

This will be classed as fly-tipping, which is a criminal offence and is liable to prosecution.

All Suffolk recycling centres are closed on Wednesdays. For more information on the new Recycling Centre or on fly-tipping see here