Shocking videos showing cars queuing to take rubbish to a recycling centre have reignited the row over recycling centre opening hours being cut.

George Butcher, Lib Dem councillor for Wotton-under-Edge, posted videos filmed on two separate days – each showing dozens of cars queueing to access Horsley Tip on the busy B4058.

“What worried me more was the queue onto the road,” cllr Butcher said.

“The second time I went I was pleased to see a member of staff doing his best to fill all parking spaces, but there were far too many cars for the tip to cope.”

The long queues led to some visitors having to wait up to an hour in their cars on the busy main road in order to drop off their waste.

Although recycling centres are traditionally busy after the festive break, cllr Butcher, who is also vice-chair of the Stroud District environment committee, said that the queues will have been exacerbated by the county council’s decision to close recycling centres one day a week.

“Shutting one day a week is a bad idea,” he said.

“Yes I am fully aware it is partially because of the time of year, but that does not excuse the poor decision Gloucestershire County Council made to be close the centre one day a week.”

In October the council announced that five household recycling centres (HRCs) across the county, including Horsley tip, would be open from 10am until 4pm.

Additionally, from October 28, each centre also be closed for one day a week to reflect a 25 per cent reduction in the number of people using the centres throughout the winter months.

Cllr Nigel Moor, cabinet member responsible for household recycling centres at Gloucestershire County Council, said: “A lot of research, monitoring and consideration went into this decision; this solution will not only allow the council to make savings, but it also means our HRCs are open when the public need them to be.”

At the time the decision to reduce the opening hours was slammed by councillors, who said that they had not been consulted.

Simon Pickering, a Green Party councillor said that there was concern that the cuts to opening hours would leave to a rise in fly-tipping.

“There has been no formal consultation with Stroud District and we are very concern that this will lead to an increase in fly-tipping, which the cost of clearing up falls on the district council not the county,” cllr Pickering said.

But Wayne Lewis, who heads up the joint waste management team at Gloucestershire County Council says that the tips are always busy at this time of year, and has asked people to consider delaying their visit.

“Every year after the Christmas and New Year period our household recycling centres get very busy.

“We have extra staff on site to help direct traffic and at Pyke Quarry, Horsley and Hempsted we are using our new mobile waste compactors to help keep things moving.

“Please expect delays over the next week or so, and if your visit isn’t urgent we would recommend waiting for the post-Christmas rush to be over.”