People looking to clear out weeks’ worth of rubbish were met with long queues as Harrow recycling centre reopened.

Cars were backed up along several streets around Forward Drive, Harrow, as residents rushed to get rid of their waste that had built up over the lockdown period.

Harrow Council opened its civic amenity site this morning (May 18) in line with Government advice.

In anticipation of this, it decided to stagger visitors based on post code and said long queues were expected.

And several people living near to the tip said vehicles were backed up for hundreds of metres with queues reportedly stretching back to Wealdstone town centre.

One resident expressed concerns about cars blocking up Herga Road – as a one-way street, he said there could be safety issues if an emergency vehicle needed access.

“We know traffic is building up on the roads leading to our recycling centre on Forward Drive,” the council tweeted.

“We’re asking you to come if you can’t dispose of waste via normal bin collections.

“The site is only open to HA1 residents today. Cars only.”

It also set up a live stream by the entrance so potential visitors can see the size of the queues before setting off.

The recycling centre is open for those with HA2 post codes tomorrow, HA3 Wednesday, HA5 Thursday, HA7 Friday and HA0, HA4, HA6, HA8, NW9, UB5 and WD2 residents on Saturday.

Sunday is reserved for key workers, including those from the NHS and other emergency services staff.

The council reminded people that they must show ID and proof of address upon arrival – i.e. council tax bill, utility bill, driving license, NHS/emergency services ID.

And anyone from a household where someone has experienced any Covid-19 symptoms in the past 14 days must not visit the recycling centre “under any circumstances”.