Congleton's recycling centre could soon re-open following a call by the local government secretary Robert Jenrick.

The recycling centre was closed by Cheshire East Council in March following government advice at the time that travelling to the tip was not deemed as an essential journey.

Yesterday (April 28) Mr Jenrick said he had written to councils telling them to plan to reopen recycling centres.

"Our bin men and women have done a fantastic job maintaining the vast majority of collections," Mr Jenrick told the Commons.

"I'm asking councils to plan the organised reopening of household waste collection sites. I expect this to happen over the coming weeks and will be publishing amended guidance shortly."

The Local Councils Association has said: "The government has now indicated that they want councils to reopen their centres and local authorities have already begun preparations to do just that in the coming weeks.

"This will not be without its challenges – requiring social distancing measures, traffic management and co-ordination across the country.

"Most importantly, there needs to be clear guidance to both the police and the public as to what constitutes an essential journey to a household waste recycling centre during lockdown."

Congleton Nub News has contacted Cheshire East Council, the authority responsible for operating the Household Waste and Recycling Centre in Congleton for more information.