WORCESTERSHIRE County Council has been branded hypocritical after rejecting proposals to build a recycling plant - during national recycling week.

Skippy Waste owner Tony Dukes applied to the council to construct a recycling and sorting depot for materials picked up by his three lorries, to reduce the amount of materials going into landfill sites.

The company, based at Millpool Farm Industrial Estate, Hallow, specialises in collecting "dry" material such as building materials, rubble, soil wood, metal and paper.

But members of the council's planning and regulatory committee threw out the plan, fearing it would create too much traffic.

Mr Dukes has rejected the councillors' reasons, claiming his business would mean fewer vehicles movements on the site.

"I'm very frustrated about this," he said. "People are being told to recycle and there's new legislation saying that waste has to be sorted. Yet a proposal for a recycling facility is turned down.

"And the reasons given are ridiculous. There were two transport companies here before us, so there were far more vehicles coming and going than there is now.

"And if I leave here, another transport company could move on to the site, which again would create far more traffic."

When it rejected the application, members of the committee also raised concerns about the impact the facility would have on neighbouring properties.

But Mr Dukes said no one would be able to see into the estate and insisted the proposal would leave the site tidier.

"No wonder the country's trailing in the amount of recycling it does in comparison to other countries," he added.

"I'm only trying to do some good. There's so much stuff I collect which is suitable for recycling."

Alwyn Davies, the county council's cabinet member for sustainability and the environment, said the arguments were well presented by both Mr Dukes and the scheme's objectors.

"The planning committee made the decision and, clearly, under the rules, Mr Dukes has the right to appeal against the decision if he feels strongly."