OPENING hours at recycling centres in County Durham are being extended throughout the summer.

From Wednesday until September 30, recycling centres at Annfield Plain, Potterhouse Lane, Tudhoe, Seaham, Heighington Lane, Romanway and Middleton-in-Teesdale will be open seven days a week from 9am until 6pm.

The Hett Hills and Stainton Grove sites will be open on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays between 9am and 6pm.

Sites at Thornley, Coxhoe and Horden will be open between 10am and 4pm, Mondays to Thursdays, and 9am until 6pm on weekends and Bank Holidays.

John Shannon, strategic waste manager at Durham County Council, said: “Extended summer opening hours mean residents can access household waste recycling centre sites for longer, particularly after they finish work, and they can dispose of larger items, free of charge.”

Residents using a van, pickup, minibus or towing a trailer to dispose of their household waste must use a waste permit. To apply for a permit contact 03000-261000.

People in Weardale can dispose of their household waste at a mobile site in Frosterley, just off the A689, on alternative Saturday mornings, between 9am and 12pm. The site is a non-waste permit scheme site.

For more information visit durham.gov.uk/hwrc