Protesters have blasted Cheshire East's 'ludicrous' decision to close Bollington tip, saying it is contrary to the council's carbon-neutral plans and will increase fly-tipping.

One angry campaigner asked members of the environment and communities committee at Thursday's meeting: "Do you agree with the LGA (Local Government Association) peer review that Cheshire East Council makes poor, ill-informed decisions on a silo basis and is a failing council teetering on the brink of bankruptcy?"

The council's household waste recycling centres at Bollington, Middlewich and Poynton are due to close 'temporarily' from 5pm on Sunday, August 4.

Save our tip campaigners from Bollington demonstrated outside Macclesfield Town Hall before venting their anger at councillors inside during the meeting of the environment and communities committee.

Resident Greg Lisle told the committee: "Macclesfield tip can't cope now, as it is.

"How is he going to cope with the extra traffic [from Bollington and Poynton]?

"The introduction of a booking system at Macclesfield tip, as if somehow this is going to magically make the waste disappear, is a nonsense. It's ludicrous."

And he described the council's proposals for a mobile tip to visit Bollington once a month as 'absolutely pathetic', adding: "The place you've proposed is the most inaccessible place possible."

Mr Lisle continued: "What's wrong with the tip that we've got already?

"Putting 4,000 extra cars on the third worst accident black spot in Macclesfield – madness.

"An extra £75,000 of cost in fuel for Bollington residents to get to Macclesfield tip and back.

But Cheshire East is saving money, so that's okay."

He asked how much of the rubbish would be fly-tipped instead of ending up at the Macclesfield centre.

"Bin collections to go to once every three weeks. You couldn't make it up," said Mr Lisle.

Campaigner Brian Perkins said the community had recently done a survey on tip usage.

"If you look at the survey that we did, we estimate there'll be an additional 500 cars per day from Bollington and Poynton using the Macclesfield tip," he said.

Mr Perkins said they estimated there was going to be an additional 90 tonnes of CO2 a year because of additional traffic between Bollington and Macclesfield.

"So how does that address the overall targets that Cheshire East are setting for being carbon neutral?" he asked the committee.

Cash-strapped Cheshire East has said, in previous statements, it is mothballing the tips as an emergency measure to save an estimated £750,000.

They 'emergency closures' were due to have come into force in April but were delayed.

The council insists no decision has been made to close the tips permanently.

The future of all HWRCs will be decided by the committee at a future meeting when the details of the recent public consultation has been assessed.