Residents living across the Vale and South Oxfordshire will be alarmed to hear that Oxfordshire County Council is planning to close one or more waste recycling centres to save a total of £350,000.

This could mean centres closing at Drayton and at Oakley Wood, near Wallingford, and people are understandably concerned that the move could lead to an increase in fly-tipping.

Rodney Rose, the county councillor in charge of the proposal, claims a reduction in the number of centres has not prompted an increase in fly-tipping in other parts of the country.

But it is hard to believe that some residents and businesses will not be tempted to fly-tip if they face a longer drive to their local tip.

The responsibility for tackling fly-tipping rests with district councils, so we would expect Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire district councils to lobby against these proposals.

Another possibility the county council has flagged up is that it will build new centres as it closes some of the old ones which, at a glance, does not appear to be a good use of taxpayers’ money.

The last thing residents want to see are green spaces blighted by flytipping, and local authorities need to work together to ensure the best possible service for residents.