The new-look household waste disposal tip at Newland, near Malvern, has opened for business after months of refurbishment.

John Lashley, operations director of site operators Severn Waste Services, said Monday's opening went "very smoothly".

However, the new layout caused some confusion among those first through the gates, with one driver claiming to have wait 20 minutes (see Your Letters, page 7).

He said: "There were no more than a dozen cars in front of me, all of whom would have fitted into the old yard with room to spare . . ."

Mr Lashley said that although he did not see any congestion, there were bound to be teething problems.

"It's going to take people a while to get used to it," he said. "It's a new layout and we're asking people to do things slightly differently."

Mr Lashley insisted the new layout was much safer than before but said Severn Waste Leisure would welcome suggested improvements.

Instead of several waste skips, there is only one bulky waste hopper that feeds directly into a compactor. The site has a ramp leading up to skips for various materials.

The Worcester Road tip has a new facility for domestic "green" waste. Cardboard, clothes, bottles, metal, cans, textiles and paper can also be recycled.