SLIDESHOW: A peek at refurbishment work behind the scenes at Leighton's Tidy Tip

Refurbishment work is almost complete and is part of a wider investment by Central Beds Council to modernise and improve all Household Waste Recycling Centres across the district to ensure they are easy to use and equipped to meet future needs as demands increase due to a growing population.

Click on the above video to see a slideshow of photos of the refubishment work in progress.

The council says when the Leighton Buzzard site reopens it will have an improved layout and a modern split-level design that will allow residents to more easily dispose of their waste into containers from an elevated platform. Residents will also be able to recycle a wider range of materials there.

Councillor Budge Wells, Deputy Executive Member for Community Services, said: “We want to thank all residents for bearing with us while the much needed redevelopment work took place and for their continued efforts to recycle.

“These new sites are high standard facilities which will provide many long term benefits such as improved safety, better access throughout the site and more opportunities to recycle.”

The Shenley Hill Road dump shut on July 17 and residents have been anxious to see it reopen, having been forced to use other Tidy Tips such as Dunstable. Subsidence issues, due to its location on a former landfill site, have been addressed in the revamp.

A temporary garden waste facility was also set up for several Sundays at Vandyke Upper School.