THURROCK Council appears to have tightened security around its drop of rubbish collection points placed around the borough.

Over recent days seven sites have been identified where residents can take their general waste which is not being collected from homes because of the strike by members of the Unite union over planned changes to their terms and conditions under the council's Modernising Reward project.

The public has made good use of the sites, so much so that huge piles of bags have mounted up when people drop their rubbish outside of the scheduled hours.

The council has also announced it plans to operate a site in Orsett but details of it have not yet materialised.

This has proved problematic, so as a solution, the council is now implementing security measures at some of the sites, with security guards preventing people leaving their bags.

Latest details of the drop of points and opening hours are as follows

Drop-off points open on weekdays

Drop-off points are open from Monday to Friday, between 9am and 6pm, at:

• the former Yara Terminal site, London Road, Purfleet-on-Thames, RM19 1PA,
• the former Culver Centre site, Daiglen Drive, South Ockendon, RM15 5BX,
• the car park of Impulse Leisure Belhus Park, Park Lane, South Ockendon, RM15 4PX,
• the car park of Impulse Leisure Blackshots, Blackshots Lane, Grays, RM16 2JU,
• the former council depot site, Curzon Drive, Grays, RM17 6BQ,
• Units H and I, Hume Avenue, Tilbury, RM18 8YD,
• the Billet site, Billet Lane, Stanford-le-Hope, SS17 0AR,

Drop-off points open at the weekend

Some of the drop-off points listed above are also open at weekends.

Drop-off points are open on Saturday, 15 May and [.B]Sunday, 16 May, [.B]from 9am to midday, at:

• the former Yara Terminal site, London Road, Purfleet-on-Thames, RM19 1PA
• the former Culver Centre site, Daiglen Drive, South Ockendon, RM15 5BX
• the former council depot site, Curzon Drive, Grays, RM17 6BQ

Drop-off points are open on Saturday, 15 May only, from 9am to 4pm, at:

• Units H and I, Hume Avenue, Tilbury, RM18 8YD
• the Billet site, Billet Lane, Stanford-le-Hope, SS17 0AR