Lynnbottom Tip man had car 'full of garden waste'

The council sent a press release to all Island media outlets earlier today, with a photo of the two items and a reminder that people 'should only consider visiting the tip if it is genuinely essential'.

It was claimed someone had visited the tip to dispose of just the two items.

However, a man has since stepped forward after recognising his items, and said he had a car full of garden waste too, and was told to hand the two miscellaneous items over to a waste handler.

He told the County Press: "I had booked a slot for 10.30am yesterday morning and went there with my car filled to bursting point with garden refuse.

"I also took the broken coat hanger and the faulty charger, both of which were items that fell into the categories of what could be accepted.

"On arrival at the tip, the helpful man at the entrance asked what I had to dispose of and, on learning that 99 per cent was garden waste, said he would take the other two small items to save me from having to park in two different places.

"I gave him the items and went straight on round to unload the garden materials, did so and left."

When contacted by the County Press about the claim, a council spokesperson said they would look into it and check CCTV.

They said: "This photo was one of many examples of single/small non-essential waste items that had been brought to the tip over the past three days. Others have included single computer monitors, cardboard which is collected at the kerbside, and single car batteries.

"We would like to continue to stress that trips to the recycling centres at this time should only be made if it is not safe to store the waste on your property or is causing a risk to the environment or a risk of injury.

"Bringing single items, or items that can be stored safely is not an appropriate use of the booking system and is a health risk to yourself, staff and other visitors using the site."

UPDATE: Isle of Wight Council apologises for coathanger press release debacle